The last thing a dealer wants to hear is “take me off of your marketing list.” Each and every time you get that email, phone call - or in some cases a text - you often ask yourself did I email to much? Was the offer good?

The bottom line is that you have to remove the customer from your marketing lists. Dealers sometimes forget (or lose track of) just how many vendors that actively email your customers, which are not just sent from the CRM/DMS. There are OEM emails and sometimes vendors also send their emails, too.

Removing the email from just the CRM (in most cases) will not then also delete the customer's email address from all systems. In which case, the already upset and disinterested customer will receive another email next month. Certainly not the best way to try and capture their business for service, no?

When is the last time you checked with your vendor to see if they’ve scrubbed for opt-outs? How does your dealer handle opt-outs?

You might be wondering why I am so enthused about removing customers from the marketing list? Let me set the record straight. It is not about being excited to remove upset customers - it is about better the chances of earning their business for service.

If the customer has opted out of email correspondence for service, the last chance of resurrecting that customer is not by sending them another email. There are a few different campaigns that could work. One of them being mailers - sending a mailer will allow you to personalize it by having the customer go to a unique URL giving us their permission to email them. As you are giving them an exclusive offer.

If the customer - who initially opted out  - needs an oil change and you’ve provided a complimentary oil change (or whatever offer works best), and they are in need of that service -  the chances of the customer coming in are in your favor.

If that upset customer - the one that opted out - has a great experience then it can have the chance of restarting the relationship. A relationship that can be profitable for the dealership. If traditional mail has not worked for your dealer, there is always social media marketing. Allowing the dealer to send the customer (the one that opted out) a coupon that will show up in their feed.

Doesn’t matter which campaign you choose (again whatever works best for your dealership), but you should make sure that your email lists are up to date!

How does your dealer deal with opt-outs? Do you use digital or traditional campaigns?