A dealership’s CRM, the center of the sales operations. This sales tool has the capacity to work in tandem with the sales team to efficiently and successfully sell more cars. However, as is the case with so many dealerships, the staff and management are either misusing its functions or not understanding its capabilities. The largest discrepancy with a dealership CRM is neither of these though, but instead a hatred for it entirely. Recently, we polled 50 random dealership staff across the country, from 50 different dealerships. This included 40 sales personnel and 10 managers. A simple question was asked; are you satisfied with the CRM tool your dealership uses? The answers were alarmingly negative, with 37 out of the 40 sales personnel, and 8 out of 10 managers, dissatisfied with their current tool. The negative results were not surprising, but they do provide a glimpse into the negativity dealership personnel carry for their CRM tool.

Looking at what’s wrong with your CRM, and more importantly what needs to be working properly, is the only method to providing the dealerships staff with a tool they can get along with. This is necessary because the old way of thinking, where management throws a tool at the staff and says “work with it”, will not work. Having a positive experience day in and day out with your CRM, will help the longevity of not only your personnel and their abilities, but also the dealership's bottom line. Both sales staff and managers should work well with the CRM, and there’s a few items to look out for to make sure the CRM is working properly for the entire dealership.

The sales staff should be experiencing an ease of use when utilizing the CRM, every day, every deal. The CRM should work as an assistant for the sales representative, provide he/she with most promising leads to call each and every day. The sales staff should also be able to utilize all the functions of the CRM on a mobile device, because not every deal takes place at the desk. One of the greatest and most enjoyable pieces of a CRM that is a available in some systems, which was requested by most that were polled, and one that helps to keep sales staff working more efficiently, is customization. All staff are not the same, and their CRM “view” should also be different to their specifications. Some sales representatives like to have the most opportunistic leads centerstage, while some prefer their personal numbers front and center. The point is, custom CRM dashboards provide a little personal preference in a dealership otherwise similar in many ways. If sales staff work well and are generally happy with their system, they’re more likely to spend the required time inside the tool, closing more deals.

                                                        (Truly Customizable CRM Dashboard)

Management’s use of the CRM should be all-seeing, an entire overview of dealership operations. Almost all of the managers polled had one major complaint; complete oversight was difficult with their current system. The manager’s job is to oversee and to have an overview of their specific operation. If this isn’t easily accessible for managers to keep accountability alive, they may as well go home. This ability not only keeps the sales staff accountable in the eyes of management, but it actually helps to keep managerial accountability as well. The turnover ratio in the automotive industry is disturbing, and with top to bottom accountability available with the right CRM, why not look at alternatives. There’s a simple equation to simplify your dealership though. Look at your CRM, then look at your staff. If they’re not getting along a change must be made. You’ll thank yourself in the end.

Every dealership in the automotive industry has some sort of relationship with vendors and their products. Whether it be for a CRM, Website Design, DMS, Email Marketing, Call Reporting…You name it and it’s covered by a business in this industry. And while most will have the main argument in their quest for your business, the age old pitch “We Will Show You The Results You’ve Been Missing”, this isn’t the largest transgression against these vendors. What is, and what this article will focus on, is the TRUE problem with so many in the automotive vendor industry; false & fluffed reporting of the results their products provide.

Looking at the dealerships results, in comparison to what the vendor provides, is the key in a long lasting relationship with these suppliers. However, with so many dealer programs and vendors layering and clouding results, it’s become difficult to disassociate the good from the bad, no matter the size of the business. In some cases name recognition and sheer size of the vendor can make it simpler to be able to skew results. Viewing the warning signs for your vendors, and what they’re supposedly bringing to the table vs. what they’re actually doing for you, may help to clean house and find the right and TRUE product for your dealership. Here’s a quick guide in what to look for when being provided results from a vendor.

• Results that are vague & not analytical. Look at Google analytics for an example. When viewing stats on a reporting engine such as this, you’ll find a detailed (and sometimes frustrating) amount of information, which helps any user determine where every view, click, and exact lead came from, AND, how they got there. Now looking at many current automotive vendors, there’s only a select few who will provide true detailed views into how every facet of every lead has come through and how their product associated with this lead. A true reporting tool MUST show detail rather than a summary, and must give the dealership the chance to make the choice themselves, if they choose to do a deep dive into the analytics. Not the other way around.
• Reports showing the vendor’s product or service sold most of your vehicles. A dealership in most cases is a well oiled machine, staffed by sales personnel who spend all day with one goal; to sell cars. There is NOT ONE vendor in this industry that can attribute most of a dealerships sales to their product, it’s just not possible. An automotive supplier is there to help attain a dealership additional sales, more leads, and better organized growth and sustainability in the ever growing and changing automotive market. Unless the dealership has only vendors and no sales personnel whatsoever, there will never be a product to verify most sales can be linked to their product or service. If they do, it’s time to rethink who you’re working with.
• Product results that lead into a multitude of that same vendors’ other products. This is a tricky one, because there are many businesses who work with dealerships, who do have terrific additions to their arsenal of products. Where to be weary is when the reporting that is provided to the dealership specifically points in the direction of another product they provide. If it seems coincidental, it most likely isn’t.
• Tardy/Late Reporting. When using reputable vendors or suppliers, almost all of these will, at the beginning, provide a calendar of reporting to be expected. If reports and results are meant to be month-to-month, on the first, they should always be on the 1st. When the reporting becomes staggered and/or consistently late, in some cases it’s because the numbers do not reflect good on the product. Some may just be using a few extra days of data to bump the numbers, however some may be finding alternative methods to create “better” data in the eyes of the dealership. It’s not ethical, and it happens more than most would think.

Too many vendors are equating a correlation to a causality; trying to influence dealers that because they may have had a slight touch on the customer, they must be the only one to award credit with that sale. This is not every vendor, but the number of honest reports is outweighed by the dishonest in so many areas. Preemptively targeting certain cautionary areas of vendors before signing contracts is a must these days. This must be done in order to find transparent companies that show every detail to better the dealership, not themselves. Every aspect of all reporting needs to show the dealership, its personnel, and any outside eyes looking in, a complete view with no filters or gaps between the data and the ROI. Because, if that dealership cannot fluff their bottom line, why should any vendors be doing it?

The automotive industry, while very complex and diverse, has one unified major flaw. This flaw can directly affect every dealership in the country. It may or may not have a detrimental effect on the store's performance, as well as the reach and sustainability of the dealership itself. What is this massive issue? It’s simple; Vendor Herd Mentality. To clarify, Herd Mentality simply describes how individuals are influenced by others to adopt certain behaviors, in this case to do with the decision making of dealership third-party vendors. The decisions that dealerships make given this mentality may have a long-lasting affect on the dealership, positive and/or negative. Looking at this sociological condition, and how it affects everyone in the dealership industry, may help some take a more direct approach to the success of their dealership using an alternative viewpoint.

First, let’s clarify how Herd Mentality works within the automotive industry. Look at the dealerships website provider, CRM provider, email marketing vendor, etc., and look at how you got to them in the end. As is the case with most of us, it probably started with a referral of some kind, or, as with almost ALL of us, it began with name recognition. Looking at this deeper than many normally do, are you making the correct decisions for the dealerships’ success by moving forward with companies simply because of name recognition and/or referrals from other dealers? No. It may sound argumentative, but it’s true. Whether or not a dealership ends up with a vendor who is name recognizable, or because of a referral, should be based ENTIRELY on that specific dealership, and not a preconceived notion. As with snowflakes, no dealership is alike. Geographical locations, income levels, and other influences affect every dealerships success. Yet, because every dealership isn’t alike, every dealership must avoid the peer pressure of choosing vendors based on anything BUT the fit that vendor has within their specific dealership. Millions of dollars are spent every year to try and find the right vendor for each of the dealerships’ needs. However, what would that same dealership look like if it had done the research for the RIGHT company rather than the recognizable named vendor or the referred vendor.

In that research, there are large obstacles to avoid and/or look for in this search for the perfect vendor:

• Vendor Product Updates - A dealership is ever-changing, and it’s vendors must also have that same ability. Avoiding vendors that are too large to change is a must. Product updates are a key essential in this ongoing market, and if a vendor is too large to update systems and products as the market changes, walk away now.
• Personal Customer Service - No matter what vendor a dealership is using, it must provide award winning customer service. The daily happenings inside the dealership do not allow for a negative or slow customer service experience, no matter what product the dealership is using from whatever vendor. In addition to this, if available, having customer service representatives that are specifically assigned to a dealership will make any issues that arise much simpler to solve.
• New Features/Tools - This may be the most important, because the marketing tools that a dealership uses, if not current within that year/month/day, WILL NOT succeed. This is not meaning an updated product, as listed above, this is to do with the newest and most advanced methods of the product itself, not just a vendor trying to adapt to change and failing rapidly. With the industry of vendors so vast, it’s the thought leaders in each field that should be giving first reign, because without using these types of vendors, you’re just using a copycat. 

Keeping a watchful eye out for these necessities in an automotive vendor, and the obstacles in the way of the dealerships’ success pertaining to these vendors, will make both an instant AND long-lasting impact on the sustainability of that dealership. All of this is not necessarily saying that the companies that have name recognition or companies that are referred aren’t going to be the right fit, it’s simply implying that all dealerships must do the research for themselves to find out what company(s) fits best to work alongside YOUR store. Not another dealership.

A CRM can be the most complex and instrumental part in the success of the dealership, but too many are either using the WRONG CRM and/or simply not utilizing it properly. Using a CRM properly can benefit the dealership in more ways than many could imagine. A CRM can streamline tasks that are all located in one area, it can improve organization which in turn can boost opportunities/sales, and it also provides a central focus around the customer service side of the dealership. But, whether it be not having the knowledge, laziness, or just using the wrong CRM for that dealership, too many dealers and their staff are losing ground on the competition. Taking a look at how the dealership may be using their CRM incorrectly or incorporating the wrong CRM in general is the first task in improving the dealerships bottom line. Here are 7 functions required for a CRM. 

• Integrating, Training, and Support. A Dealership staff that does not know the process to set up in the CRM, will fall flat before they can begin. Certain CRM’s, if used correctly, will have processes set up and built in to better use the CRM to its full potential, and help sales personnel from the very start. The beginning stages of a CRM integration are key in building that solid foundation. If this is set up incorrectly, chances are you have the wrong setup or the wrong CRM entirely. In addition, some CRM companies stop at the sale, per say, and become lackadaisical in supporting the foundation. Finding a CRM company that supports the dealership from beginning integration, training consistently, and constant support available, are the keys to success.

• Advanced Software & Technology. 2016 technology is not the same as 2015, 2014, or 2013 technology. To believe this is ludicrous. CRM software that is outdated not only increases the chances of mistakes occurring, it also limits the dealership from accessing the opportunities that come with updated technology. For instance, does every dealership have the opportunity to access their CRM in app form? No. Not even close. Sitting at the desk and on a desktop should NEVER be the only point of access for a CRM. If the dealership has no app form for its CRM, it’s imperative to make a switch; your staff will thank you. 

• Separate Users For Individuals & Managers. A dealership that has one admin level or one type of access account setup, is greatly hindering the success of its sales personnel. Having the ability to have separate sales user accounts provides each sales rep the opportunity to work both individually but also in tandem with the managers. By having it set up independently it also provides management to oversee which salesperson is succeeding vs. those who are struggling. Also, having the management level access is key for the dealerships bottom line. Imagine having an all-seeing view of every facet of the dealership sales and its staff. No matter how many rooftops, having management level access provides the high-level personnel with the ability to manage better, and create a more successful team of representatives to sell more cars.

• Advanced Desking Tool Built In. Having the correct Desking Tool for the dealership, built into your CRM, is paramount. Because when penciling deals, speed does matter. Going back to the technology aspect, CRM’s must have current technology that provides up to date Rates & Residuals information. Having this ability speeds up the negotiation process, improves CSI, and helps the dealership hold gross.

• Contact Methods, Social Media, and “Best” Customers. A CRM MUST provide these three advantages to the dealership personnel. Having a system set up that properly uses technology & algorithms for best contact methods, including the best time of day, day of week, etc., to make contact, is crucial in creating a sustainable relationship with the consumer. The use of social media, which is becoming the new norm in selling methods, must be integrated into the CRM and not as a side thought. More & more people are communicating through social media, especially millennials, and these changes must be met like for like to help sales personnel engage more intelligently with the customer. Not to be forgotten, is the ability to have a focus on the “best” customer. A CRM is intelligent software, one that can use Artificial Intelligence, at least if done properly it is meant to be, and it must have the ability to engage which consumers are better to call than others. Wasting time on one customer, when in fact you should be contacting a separate customer, saves time, it saves money, and it saves heartaches.

• Equity Mining. One of the most important opportunities with a modern CRM is the ability to mine equity. This shouldn’t be a difficult process, nor should it be limited. Equity mining through the CRM can create opportunities otherwise sidelined. Using a system that relies on account orders, geographical location, number of accidents, number of owners, and others can create an actual cash value. Also one where the customer’s payment should truly be at. This done right should be done through the software and not specifically through a third party vendor. When using an outside source, the numbers can be skewed, and that gap in knowledge creates a void that will affect the future sale.

• Sales & Service Working Together. Many sales departments do not engage in efforts to communicate with service customers. This is a terrific opportunity to interact with a customer, and if using the CRM correctly it can be beneficial for future sales. If the dealership CRM doesn’t have the capability to interact with both service and sales departments, a huge percentage of service opportunities are walking into a dealership with no engagement. However, with the right CRM, sales and service can live side by side and in doing so, can be utilized to always continue the relationship with the customer. With that relationship continued, future car purchases are more likely for that specific dealership.

Long story short, if you can’t check all of these boxes, it may be time to go shopping.

The recent news of Cars.com’s acquisition of DealerRater is creating a stir, basically because a review GIANT will be born when the transaction is completed next month. The new Cars.com will have the largest dealer review platform in the industry, with more than 4 million consumer submitted reviews. While there surely are many dealerships as well as sales personnel who have seen this news, many have surely passed it by, not thinking twice. However, there should be a pause, because this acquisition will effect every facet of the auto industry. The greatest eventuality with this, if done correctly, will be that dealerships have the chance to build up their reputation because of this.

Online reviews, no matter the industry, are more important than ever before. Automotive reviews are even more important to consumers, given that the purchase they make will be their second largest only to purchasing a home. In addition, this importance on reviews rings even more true when talking about service departments. And, unknown to many, dealership sales personnel are also able to be reviewed. Simply put, reviews are a way for consumers to feel more comfortable throughout every dimension of the dealership. Given 71% of customers say they bought their vehicle because they liked, trusted, or respected their salesperson, this comfort level can effect your dealership both positively as well as negatively. Having said that, there’s a few things that need to be understood to help better suit the “review educated” consumer.

With reviews so important to the consumer, it’s no wonder that 85% of customers make up their mind about purchasing a vehicle before they leave the house. This type of word of mouth marketing has created a comfortable community for consumers, and this acquisition allows all dealerships to better improve and monitor their reputation. The new Cars.com will allow the dealership to keep better track of their reviews throughout a multitude of websites more efficiently, which has been difficult for most in previous years. In addition to this, dealerships will also be alerted when a negative review is submitted. This ability helps the dealership take over control of the review, and steer it toward a solution. With individual sales personnel reviews, consumers can see how well rated each staff member is before ever walking through the door. Matching them with who best suits their needs. Many may believe that sales personnel reviews are a worrisome item to have available, however this actually provides a two-prong approach to keeping your dealership ahead of others. It provides salesperson accountability and a personal driving source for your dealership. The individual positive reviews leave the consumer feeling comfortable and the negative reviews allow management to reassess which staff members are working out best for their teams.

This acquisition will create a plethora opportunities for dealerships to increase their digital marketing strategy. With the amount of dealership funds already allocated to SEM, this acquisition will allow for a more efficient review strategy that SHOULD, again if done properly, increase dealership reputation and more importantly, sales.

Who is going to be the most ideal customer to purchase from your dealership? The question so many ask, and so many wish they had the answer to. The obvious answer would be an existing customer, preferably one who purchased their most recent vehicle from you. Your dealership has already built a relationship with the costumer. But in most dealerships, it's not that easy. And while purchasing leads and advertising is a part of the marketplace game, there should always be a lookout strategy for new opportunities. For instance, there’s a wealth of equity hiding in plain sight, patiently waiting to be mined out of the dealership CRM.

Here's three strategies on how to sell more cars using the CRM. So grab a shovel, it’s time to get digging.

Target Sold Lease Customers. When a customer leases a car from the dealership, there is a massive advantage of knowing the exact date that the customer will be returning the vehicle. So, it is not “pushy” to regularly check in on their plans for their next vehicle and how you can help them with an easy transition. By continuously reminding them that they need to be ready to choose a new car, and most importantly, choose from your dealership, you’re taking the initiative so they don’t have too. With an intelligent CRM, sales personnel are able to build Modules to target sold lease customers. Whether it be by call, text, or email campaign, targeting lease customers through the CRM will always provide a greater ROI than purchasing leads.

Hit Them When They’re In For Service. We’ve all been privy to the experience of the service department. No matter how relaxing the waiting area is, you’re still just, waiting. Regardless if the customer is leasing or has purchased, this “waiting” portion of service is the perfect time to target them for their next vehicle. If the salesperson who sold the customer their last vehicle were to be available to entertain the individual, 9 times out of 10 the customer will oblige. This gives the salesperson/dealership the ability to casually introduce the idea of the customers’ next vehicle. Using the dealership CRM can make this all possible. By having the ability to create specific campaigns based around service dates for the specific dealership clientele, a business intelligent CRM can open doors kept shut previously. The biggest barrier to getting your customer to buy their next car from you is getting them into your dealership. When they are there for service anyway, you have overcome that barrier naturally. No paying for leads - no random harassment.

Adopt A Customer. Life as an orphan customer is rough. While the other customers’ sales reps are still around to play catch with them and prospect them via the various equity mining tools, orphaned customers are on their own. No longer do you need to leave these orphan customers on the streets, cold and alone with nothing but their positive equity to keep them warm. Take advantage of the tools in your CRM. There are two solid avenues to successful adoption. First, target inactive leads due to the salesperson’s absence in the dealership. You’re not stepping on anyone’s toes by contacting customers out of it. Most of them are legit equity customers, and you’re hitting the hottest ones first. Second, create a campaign. Not the normal campaign though, instead target the campaign by excluding Active Employees. This option will create a campaign based around the leads stated previously, who are inactive due to the salesperson no longer being with the dealership. Both options gives sales personnel more options through adopting customers. Remember, adoption saves deals.

No matter which strategy a dealership uses, taking full advantage of the CRM is key. It's not just for new customers, and the sooner all dealerships realize that the better.

Selling to women has been a topic in dealership training for years. But this technique of differentiating women from men as decision makers, as unpopular as it may seem, is flawed. Gone are the days when a wife would make the introduction, choose her favorite vehicle, and the salesperson would then turn their focus on how to convince the husband that this vehicle was perfect for "him" too. There are a plethora articles, websites, and even companies focusing on "selling to women" as a different means to success. Some even go as far to state, regarding women consumers, "They’re going to make money, they’re going to make their own decisions, and they can be very loyal consumers.” The issue here, again unpopular, is that this is true for so many woman AND men, and not just women alone. It can actually harm your dealership in the long run if you focus on women being a separate entity rather than a Consumer in general.

There is a large discrepancy with the way dealerships sell to women. It is historically tied to an era in which there were factors that did indeed make it possible to succeed in this separation technique. Examples being a much lower divorce rate, less single parents, and a much less wealthy women workforce. Currently, about 51 percent, or $14 Trillion, of American personal .... The world of independent women has changed society, and the automotive industry is, in many cases, creating a discrimination by selling to women separately. To succeed in the dealership marketplace, there's changes that must be made. Should you be selling to women differently? Yes, differently than you have been. As you would with men, dealerships must sell and inform the "decision maker", no matter the gender.

When selling a car, the first step is obviously identifying what the consumers' needs are that you could provide, and identifying the path to provide this. The chief difference in the way that we treat women versus the way that we treat men is, with men, we do not make assumptions about what men need and/or what they need from us. There's an assumption that there's a diversity and complexities that aren't attributed to the female buyer. And this isn't a character problem, nor is it even a moral problem, it's rooted from a historical reality. However the problem is, this is no longer the case. The diversity that's represented in the male car buying population is represented almost entirely in the female car buying population.

The women consumer used to be have a singular list of needs, which in turn created a singular path to selling. Today, these needs have an almost identical representation as men. There may be sometrue\ range difference, but by no means is this singular any longer. No longer are there a few females dominating with wealth. The american archetype of the woman car shopper is no longer reflected in the car buying process. The argument is going to be, as always, "Women are different than Men." In many ways, this is true. However, in car buying today, it's no longer the case. Yes, the female car buyer has small differences in what they're looking for. However, the change that has happened has created an increase in the diversity of needs represented by the female buyer. This diversity has to be a factor that motivates how we sell to women; that being the same way as we would sell to men. Practically speaking, we no longer know what the female car buyer is looking for. We have to ask, and as with the male car buyer, we have to assume that they know better than we do about what their needs are. Do we need to sell to women differently? As stated above, YES. Differently than we have been.

Many dealerships have at one time or another, had automated email campaigns set up for generating sales. It makes sense with the "new consumer" dominating the industry. Attention spans are shrinking and the new generations are forcing dealerships to create a uniqueness to their brand, all in the hopes of keeping the dealership at the forefront of the mind of the consumer. But exactly what is an automated "drip" campaign? This type of marketing automation includes a series of content, sent usually through email, typically on a set schedule. This type of messaging can be prepared based on different criteria levels as well; position in the sales cycle, vehicle/model most interested in, geographical location, etc. The most complex part of this is knowing how to create effective drip campaigns so they don’t appear as a spam email. This can be done, most importantly, through the use of a CRM.

Why use a drip campaign? Very simple, retention. All dealerships want the consumer to read and/or click on the links sent, as well as to respond to these marketing emails. However, there are numerous advantages to implementing a drip campaign.

• A dealership can maintain the attention of the buyer. We all know sales cycles vary depending on the customer, but with continuous contact (not over-saturating) the dealership and its sales department stay front and center.
• There are not 25 hours in a workday, and marketing is time consuming. With a drip campaign the time is used wisely with intuitive and automated follow up. Which allows sales personnel more time to close more deals.
• An eventual increase in sales is the largest attraction. It's a simple equation; more contacts means a higher yield of engagement, a higher engagement yield leads to more sales closed. 

There are plenty of different scenario's in which a drip campaign would be useful for a dealership as well, all of which have the same end goal; to drive more sales into the showroom. Having said this, there are still two main reasons for an automated campaign; Top of Mind & Lease/Loan Maturities. Not every client will buy on the spot, and staying top of mind is key. Drip campaigns are perfect for those individuals who do extensive research and draw out the sales process, but who you don’t want to be forgotten. It also exposes people to your store’s brand over a scheduled timeframe, and helps to build an appreciation for the uniqueness of the dealership. The same could be said for Lease and/or Loan Maturity. It's nearly impossible to catch every loan or lease ahead of its expiration, but with scheduled drip emails an initial reminder can be set up, along with an array of other reminders, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Through the use of the dealership's CRM, drip campaigns allow the dealership to take one very important aspect OUT of the situation; human error. Whether you like it or not, sales personnel will miss opportunities and send poor emails. However, with a well designed and integrated automated drip campaign, it's nearly impossible to miss the mark.

First Contact & Follow Up. It's a simple ask of sales personnel, yet it's become one of the largest downfalls in the sales process. It's not the act of actually making contact, its the method that in fact creates the madness. By splattering phone calls, texts, and emails at random days and/times, it becomes about as useful as not contacting a consumer at all. Using the correct methods though, along with having the ability to hold sales personnel responsible through reporting and analytics, will be the most efficient way of gaining more sales through proper contact and follow-up procedures.

There are a multitude of methods to take for contacting leads/consumers. Taking a look at each and the correct initiatives to take can dramatically increase the chances for your sales personnel to succeed. Having said that, if these methods are directed through a dealerships CRM, then not only do you have a proper record of each contact, you also have the ability for a more direct targeting campaign. There are three main avenues to take when it comes to contacting the consumer, however it's the approach in which you take that will make the difference.

• Dropping Voicemails will utilize the relationship already established with the dealership, providing a voice to coincide with the faces inside your showroom that the consumer has already visited. Using a CRM that has the ability to set up voicemails, allows the dealership the ability to have custom voicemails created to reach the consumer to close leads, as well as providing another level of customer service. For those who retain an internal/external BDC, this can add to or even replace the department, without having to worry about the questionable voicemails left by some individuals. Some of which, lead to do-not-call lists or robocall worries.

• Time Targeted Texting provides a direct route to the consumer with an exact time scheduled to reach at the peak time. Using a CRM with the technology to establish the best time/day has a dramatic effect on engagement. After all, on average texting provides up to a 45% engagement rate. Its the simple truth that consumers in general believe that texting, used as a form of communication, is more personal than an email or in some cases a phone call. If these texts are custom, and are set to go out depending on the consumers most "alert" time, the engagement is undeniably going to increase.

• Sending the Perfect Email at a specific time will forgo purchasing email marketing from numerous vendors that work outside of your system. With an email directed through the dealership CRM, the sales staff can have the ability to follow up with leads and not impact any of the dealerships' outside marketing efforts. With certain CRM's, emails can be given a unique email account to protect each dealership from being listed as spam. Too many dealerships have had to go through a multitude of email systems because of Gmail and others listing them as spam. This is a problem that actually HAS a solution.

These three contact methods seem normal. All three are even being implemented by almost every dealership across the country. But just because you're performing an action, it doesn't mean your performing it RIGHT. No matter if it's an independent dealership or group, every dealership and its' personnel can improve the methods of contact follow-up. If you believe you're doing everything "perfect", well, most likely you're not.

Most dealerships still make their ad buying decisions based on a traditional ROI report. The problem is, these traditional reports are little more than smoke and mirrors. An ROI report assumes that there is a precise and (importantly) exclusive connection between a lead and a deal. Which is ALWAYS true, except in the overwhelming majority of cases. Why then do most dealerships determine which lead provider brought them a sale when it’s reported through a broken system? With so many factors diluting the report it can be difficult for many dealerships to pinpoint the exact source. This makes it nearly impossible to better their future lead generation, and most importantly, where the money should be spent.

Most customers submit multiple leads through different sources before they buy, and that collection of leads influences their buying decision. Let’s start with an example. Jeff submits a request through a lead provider, then comes into the dealership, and takes a test drive. Jeff waits a week, calls in and asks about another vehicle on the lot. Jeff then submits another lead through another lead provider, and comes back and purchases. While Jeff may be indecisive, that’s not the issue. What is, is what lead provider should get credit for that lead and most importantly how to pinpoint the source in the first place. 

With that said, every deal WILL get an ad source posted for it. However, that creates a false narrative and begins to drive ad funds toward lead providers of which may be falsely recognized by skewed results. Analytical reporting through a dealership’s CRM, the “Ad Source ROI Report”, is the most common function to determine which lead provider resulted in lead generation. But with all the diluted information inside these reports, they need to be reconfigured to better function properly. ROI reporting working in tandem with the CRM analytics can have the ability to provide a separation between what is determined a TRUE lead source and an UNKNOWN source. Such technology can show the true and proven lead source independently from the entire grouping. For instance, if the reporting shows 30% true sourcing separate from the remaining and diluted 70%, a stronger ad source targeting campaign becomes available to the dealership. This is done also by targeting the previous 3 months rather than the standard 1 month. Doing so provides the dealership the ability to identify TRENDS & INFLUENCES rather than the randomness that is attributed with looking at only 30 day reporting.

Another large cause to the true unknown ad source, is employee based. This creates a conflict of interest with the results, to better benefit the department associated with the ad source. Remembering Jeff from above, if he walks in on Monday and then submits a separate lead on Friday, a traditional CRM report can be altered to better suit the internet department, even if he was a “walk-in" to begin with. Basically, a traditional CRM ad source report gives the power to employees, who by nature will be bias towards themselves and their department.

For all the reasons and so many more, it is greatly important to know how the lead was influenced and who/what influenced them. Basically, if you have an ad source that is the first lead on exactly ZERO deals, but the second lead on 50 deals, is that ad source useless? Surely not. They were an influencer. Maybe even a closer. So if customers buy based on the total influence of a collection of leads (and they do), dealerships should be investing in INFLUENCE (and they don't). You need an introduction. So the first lead "in" on a customer matters. But most people don't get married on their first date.