It is no secret that the way we communicate with our customers has drastically changed in the last four to five years. Texting has become one of the top ways to communicate with your customers. Yet most OEM's still fail to count texting as a touchpoint in the customer's general correspondence regarding OEM leads! Sadly, many still only count phone calls and emails as touch points in reporting! 

Despite trying to explain the value of texting - regardless of the OEM's short comings - most of us have still experienced a meeting with the GM or Owner. A meeting where we have to explain why our total touch average has slipped gradually over the last few years. Spending more time worrying about a report that does not add up versus what is getting results. 

Another concern with the current data models regarding touch points to sale is that, for the most part, do not include texting! So are the studies that continue to say that twelve touch points are the average even accurate? Does one text each way a touchpoint, or is a conversation in its entirety a touchpoint? Does that even matter? 

The answer is NO! Instead of focusing on touchpoint averages on traditional communication forms, we should be focusing on the end goal; that is selling the vehicle! 

One of the many great things about texting is that it enables you to continue the conversation right where you left off! The idea that you are not expected to sit there and anxiously wait for the customer to text you back. Knowing, too, that the customer still has a 98% chance of seeing that text you last sent them. And until they physically delete the text from their inbox, it will remain there as a constant reminder! This does not, however, mean that your dealer should not have texting policies - to remain compliant - either! There are also several best practices to follow, which is a whole other article (coming soon!).

Despite the success we are having with texting, as mentioned above, most OEM's are still stuck in the past! And they tend to reprieve themselves of offering solutions other than providing the obvious "contact your leads." Now more than ever, the OEM's have to provide a clear sense of direction, allowing the dealers who have and continue to evolve their dealerships the ability to do so without the OEM's prohibiting them by failing to count texting in their reports! 

Have You Ditched the Stale OEM Reporting in Favor of Results? If So, What Are Some of the Successes You Have Seen? 

Has Your OEM Counted Texting as A Touch Point in Your Overall Customer Correspondence?

There is a lot of conversation regarding whether or not to cut or spend less on digital advertising. And while we are indeed facing unprecedented times, reducing ad spend is nothing new for dealers. If sales are down, one of the go-to reactions is "we need to cut spend." Cutting ad spend with the wrong form of advertisement can have an adverse effect. So before you cut ad spend, take the time to consider the below points. 

Put together a list of current vendors you are using. 

You would be surprised, but many dealers do not remember all of the various vendors they are paying monthly fees with. To start this analysis off on the right track, take a minute to compile a list of all of the vendors you are using. One of the easiest ways to do this is by using Google Sheets. You can quickly pick-up right where you left off without having to save it. Once you have compiled the list of vendors - log into their back-end tool and check the following: 

Is the dealer information correct? 

• When is the last time anyone used the tool (e.g., trade-in tools, video tools, texting tools, etc.)
• For third-party lead providers with a flat rate, what has been the average lead cost for the last sixty to ninety days? Is your inventory updated correctly? Do you have the price fields set for new - "WAS"/"NOW" - same for pre-owned?

Once you have compiled a list of vendors by type, name, monthly cost, put another column "ROI" on your Google Sheet, get on to the next step.

Look at the Analytics. Don't Rely on a Gut Feeling. 

Website traffic is down, but that does not mean that the ad source is not valuable. Do not just look at the last few months of reporting, either. Instead, review reporting from the previous sixty to ninety days. Be sure to review the CRM (including multiple lead source reporting for attributional data) for sales. If you find that you are not selling enough vehicles to justify the cost or the quality of leads are not good, then put that vendor on the cut list. 

What marketing should I focus on? 

Getting the customer to your website has and remains to be the most valuable way of getting higher quality traffic. But make no mistake, not all PPC campaigns (in this case, Google Ads) are created equal. You could easily be wasting thousands of dollars before lunch if your campaigns are not optimized correctly. 

For those with access to your Google Analytics and Google Ads, take the time to look at the following items: 

Impression Share: Out of how many times the customer searches the "phrase/keywords," is your dealership visible? If you are not visible for at least 70%+ of the time, then your campaign is not going to be as effective. 

What Zip-Codes are you targeting? From experience, if you are using a third-party company to manage your campaigns, they do not always take the time to make sure that the zip codes you are targeting are the most relevant. For example, why would you want to spend money on zip codes that are not in your primary marketing area? You also want to take a look at your historical sales data, looking to see what zip codes you sell the most vehicles from, which should be from your primary marketing area! Use these reports to have a meeting with your vendor to strategize which zip codes you need to focus on! 

To help with this effort, most if not all OEM's send your dealership "defector" reports that entail the top zip codes that purchased from you, and who is taking the most business - by model - from you as well. Having this data is invaluable when making the most of your Google Ad spend. 

Once you have selected the right vendors to cut, stand your ground! 

It is no secret that when you go to cut a vendor, they will often try and promise you the world—telling you that it will be a big mistake to cut ties due to the traffic they bring to your site. If they do bring that much traffic to the site, you would have seen that in your Google Analytics reporting -- "referral sources." If they are not even on the radar, then chop them! 

Bottom Line: it is not easy by any means to make these hard decisions. But regardless of the situation we are facing, it never makes sense to continue to spend money with a marketing vendor that does not yield results or pay for tools that your dealership is not using.  

Once you have removed the dead weight, and have spoken with your ad agencies (or your internal marketing teams), look to see if you are making the most out of your current spend. In doing so, you will get for your money, and possibly even increase spend on the campaigns that are performing well. All of which can have a positive impact on your fixed-ops and total sales! 

When is the last time you honestly spent any time reviewing your vendor's reports? 

With website traffic at an all-time low, it is the perfect time to edit, build, and work on your website! As you know (for those of us who handle our sites), we have the best intentions of making edits, but getting them done is far easier said than done. The other issue is not always knowing where to start. That said, here are some of the things you can do to update your website! 

Google Analytics - Page Report, Top Exited Pages 

Take a minute and look at your pages report - looking at the last 3-6 months seeing which pages have the highest exit and bounce rate. Try and look at the website as if you were the customer who landed on this page, making sure that the CTA's and content are relevant. For those who do not have access to the CMS to make changes, you can 'print' the website page, saving it is a PDF. At which point, you can easily mark it up in Adobe (even the free version), allowing you to send the requested changes to your website host easily. 

Dealership Photos - How Old Are They? 

Chances are the photos of your dealership on the website are old and outdated. Why have photos with models that are easily 5-6 years old? You also want to make sure that you have clear, well-marked images of the following: service lanes, service lounge, showroom, and front of the dealership. First impressions are everything, so take this time to make sure your website reflects your dealership accurately. 

Service & Parts Landing Pages 

How many of you sell parts accessories online? When is the last time you checked these pages to update them? Do they accurately reflect the services that you currently offer? If not, take the time to get with the right departments and revamp the pages. For those with access to edit their sites within the CMS, there are several easy to use tools out there, such as canva.com where you can create dynamic banners and infographics! 

Bottom Line: take this time to get your website updated. Updating the content on your pages that are visited the most can have an impact on your conversion, which means more success! 

For those dealers who have switched gears, pivoted, and are offering more online retailing options it is important to update the call to actions on your VDP pages. One of the CTA's that you need to add to your site is something to the effect of "purchase online." Of course, making sure to follow all local and state laws regarding the process of the online purchase process. Beyond simply adding "purchase online" as a CTA on your site, you also need to update and tag the form/link so that when the lead hits the CRM your team knows where the lead came from. The lead should read something like: "Dealer Website - Purchase online." 

To update the CTA on your website you can either reach out to the company that hosts/manages your site - or, for those with access to their dealers CMS tool you might have the access to add and/or change the CTA's. 

Another CTA you need to pay attention to - for those states who have mandated "appointments only" - is making sure that the CTA reflects just that. Instead of saying "Schedule test drive" offer "book appointment." Again, making sure that you tag/update the form fill so that when the lead hits the CRM that it offers "Dealer Website - Book Appointment." At which point, you need to update the auto-responder (for those that use them) to ensure that the customer understands and knows what to expect from your dealership. 

And even though we are facing unprecedented times - having to make critical decisions all while doing our best to remain profitable - these new implementations can have a long lasting positive impact. In that your dealer is offering flexible ways for your customers to purchase a vehicle. All of which can make for a better experience that fits within your customers schedule, not just yours. So while this is in many ways hectic, crazy, and in some ways surreal - the work you put in now to continue to serve your customers will remain on far past the current times. 

Have you changed or updated your websites CTA's to reflect your current processes? 

Auto responders can make our lives easier, but more importantly they should let the customer know what to expect next. That said, with each dealers situation being unique to its own it is important to make sure that your auto responders reflect the following: current hours, sales process, service process and any other pertinent information. 

Here is a sample auto-responder for a vehicle inquiry 

[customer name], 

Thank you for your inquiry on the [year] [make] [model]. Please know that we are taking every measure necessary to keep both our employees and customers safe. [insert cleaning practices]. 

To best serve you, we have implemented test drives at home, and you can even complete the deal at your home! One of our dedicated sales consultants will reach back out to you with your preferred communication method. 

In the meantime, for up to date information regarding COVID-19 and what [dealer] is doing please visit our news page. 

Regards, 

[signature line] 

This is simply an example. But the purpose of this auto-responder is to ensure that your customer knows what to expect from your dealership. Now more than ever it is essential to outline the process for your customer. Not to mention, your employees - especially those handling the leads - know the internal and front-facing processes so that it eliminates as many break points as possible. 

So while the times are unprecedented, and the struggle is real, there are still ways to offer unparalleled customer service. Customer service that your customers will remember the next time they need to service or purchase another vehicle. 

Have you taken the time to update your auto-responders? 

While each dealer presumably will and or has already responded differently to COVID-19, it is essential for all dealers to respond. Offering a front-facing customer and employee message. There are still many dealers who have not responded at all or even updated their Google Business Page. 

Regardless of what decision(s) you have or will make - offering your customers and employees, a message can help you move/transition into the new way of doing business during this unprecedented time. 

There are several unique challenges that we are facing today. But these challenges have not stopped us before, no? So let's not stop now, there are several ways to combat these challenges, and here are the top things to consider: 

Online Purchasing 

Instead of the conversation being stuck on auto-loop, make the bold move and offer your customers the ability to complete several of the steps   online. Work with customer to start the trade-in process, and try and offer the ability for you to appraise their vehicle at their home, or at least pick up the car to appraise it. It is no secret that there several facets that make up a deal, but the more flexibility you offer the customer, the easier it is to get the deal done. 

Flexibility with Your Sales Consultants and BDC Teams 

With several states mandating appointments only, offer your sales consultants the flexibility of working from home, allowing them to call customers and book appointments remotely. This will also help with reducing foot traffic in the store to be in alignment with social distancing guidelines. 

Bottom Line: There is no one right answer or solution, but proactively working to assist your customers still is better than not doing anything at all. More importantly, now is the time for dealers to refine and build a united front with their respective teams. 

How are you building a united front with your team? Have you offered your teams the ability to work remotely? 

For those dealers who have BDC Departments, it is possible for your BDC team to work from home. In which case they can manage the leads, social media, and continue to make follow-up calls and or book service and sales appointments. 

But How Can I Track Results? 

Just like you would any other day - review reports in the CRM. There are a lot of CRM's that use click-to-call features as well. At the end of the day, it will come down to results, are they booking appointments for either sales or service. 

Have A Daily Touch Points

Take the time to touch base with your BDC to see what results they are getting, or what challenges they are facing and work with them. 

Keep Your Social Media & Google Business Pages Up-to-Date 

It is essential that you keep your social media channels up-to-date with current hours and important information. Also consider toning down social posts so that important information does not get lost in the several auto posted, posts. 

Bottom Line: while this is unchartered territory for all of us, there are still customers whose needs have to be met. Whether that is servicing their vehicle or selling another one. It is these times that push our teams to work together to stay strong offering our customers a united front. 

Are you allowing your teams to work remotely?

In most cases, it takes a lot of time and thought on the dealer level to introduce a new business process. However, in times like this, we are facing unchartered territory, which means that we have to pivot on a moment's notice and act on it. That said, one of the ways we have worked towards handling process changes is to offer curbside pick-up for service. 

By offering curbside pick-up for our service customers, it eliminates more traffic in the dealership, which is to assist in social distancing. At the same time, it is also offering our customers peace of mind so they can still service their vehicles. 

Here are some of the things to consider when offering this service to your customers: 

Create A Well Defined Internal Process 

For this process to work, your employees need to know what the procedures are. Understanding that the situation is fluid. In that there will undeniably be hiccups in offering this service. However, the more your team is involved in helping create and manage this process, the fewer interruptions there will be. 

Inform Your Customers 

One of the most effective ways to inform your customers is by creating a short video that entails what steps and precautionary measures you are taking to provide uninterrupted service. Once you have a defined, clear message, be sure to post on social and business pages. 

Things to Consider for Your Process 

• - Offer pick-up for service appointments within a 5-10 mile radius

- Have a well-marked area outside of your dealership where customers are to drop-off/pick-up their  vehicles 

- Offer payment solutions outside of the dealership 

• - Minimize as many touch points as you possibly can - i.e., how many people are touching/moving the vehicle 

• - Increase sanitation processes 

• - Offer clear communication on how the customer is to expect updates, etc. Most CRM's enable you the ability to text the customer with their permission. 

Bottom Line: Again, there is no right answer for how your dealer is to approach these unprecedented times. But what you can do is offer your customers alternative ways to manage their vehicle being serviced. 

How are you handling service for your customers? 

We are handling unchartered territory right now when it comes to handling the processes on the dealer level. But that does not mean we have to cease communicating with both current and prospective customers. There are ways for your dealer to communicate effectively with both your staff and customers. Here are the top three things you can do. 

Make Sure Your Online Appointment Services Are in Working Order. 

Most dealers leave their third party tools on autopilot. Now more than ever, it is essential that your online forms are in working order. In addition to ensuring they are still relevant and practical. That said, I strongly encourage you to take a moment and use the form(s) as if you were the customer. 

Another thing to consider is how these leads are being handled. Is your staff fully aware of how the appointments are to be handled? If not, I strongly suggest making sure that everyone who is working with the customer is aware of the new changes. In doing so, it eases the tension and frustrations on both ends of the spectrum. In which case, ensuring that you are still offering the customer a comfortable experience. 

Social Media Posts. What Can Your Customers Expect? How Can You Give them Peace of Mind? 

It is essential to make sure that both your customers and employees are aware of how you are handling service appointments, test drives, deals, etc. One of the most effective ways to channel these processes that are front-facing is to create short videos. Sure, you can send an email blast, BUT most inboxes are already being flooded at the moment. So rather than remain un-opened in an email inbox, take the time to create a video. 

Update Your Google Business Page. Turn on Customer Messaging. 

There was a great post the other day about both using and updating your Google Business page. In doing so, it will help keep your customers informed as to how you are handling the current situation. Not to mention, you can also create posts that inform your customer of everything from updated hours, and both your sales and service processes. 

One other thing you can do is consider using a tracking line on your Google Business page. If the phone number is clearly listed on your dealer's website, Google will most likely approve that number. In doing so, you can have a better handle on how your calls are being handled. All to ensure that your customer(s) needs are being managed effectively. 

Bottom Line: having the most up to date information readily available will offer assistance in streamlining your current processes. Namely, it can, in some cases, also provide your customers peace of mind as there might be an increased demand in both servicing and maintaining their vehicles. Lastly, remember, this is unchartered territory for both you and your customers. So if there is any way to make this easier for both of you, it can have a positive impact. 

When it comes to CRM reporting in the automotive industry, there is no shortage. The idea that you can get a report for any one piece of data in your CRM system that you are using. However, just because we have all of these reports does not mean it will have a positive impact and or change the way you do business on the dealer level. In fact, arguably, each time we get lost in a new report, it can, in many ways, distract you from getting anything accomplished. That said, here are two things to consider when using reporting. 

Not All Reports in the CRM are One Size Fits All. 

It seems simple, you get a report emailed to you every day at 8AM on the dot. It looks to be perfect, but it is no secret that looks can be deceiving. One of the biggest frustrations with a lot of the CRM report subscriptions is that by the time you have reviewed the report, the data has changed. In that, depending on whether or not your sales consultants or BDC Agents have updated the leads, merged leads, or reconciled data, the numbers will change. So instead of focusing on what is pertinent, you wind up spending more time reviewing leads/notes that are otherwise taken care of. 

So instead of wasting time by reviewing several reports in your email, here are some of the best ways to get that data. 

Sold Leads. Merge the CRM & DMS Sold Deals. 

It happens, the customer fills out a coupon lead in the showroom for a gift card. The spouse/partner filled out a lead inquiry awhile back - or there was a lead for the credit application - all of which means you could easily have five or six leads pertaining to one customer. And while there is a lot of conversation surrounding lead attribution, which is essential, but it is also just as important as having a clean database. That said, start by cleaning up all of the duplicate leads, ensuring that all of the lead sources remain within the CRM. For those CRM's that enable you to choose multiple lead sources, you can easily notate which lead was the last submitted, or better yet what lead led to the showroom visit or appointment. 

By cleaning the above data points (leads) up in your CRM, you are already looking at a more accurate picture. Wherein, if you are continually looking at set and show rate versus sold rate, a five to fifteen lead swing can have a significant impact on those rates. Namely, the whole point is that data in the CRM changes by the minute, so if we do not take that into consideration while reviewing these report subscriptions, you lose focus on what is actually happening; or customers that you can still work with. 

In Bound Call Reporting. The Same Phone Number Is Not Two Leads. 

So many of the reporting subscriptions - regarding what the phone vendor sends out - do not remove duplicate callers. In that, if I were to call a dealer twice in one day, it would count as two phone leads, and let's say I got one appointment on the first call, which is great. In essence, I would not then get credit for having already booked the appointment on the second call. Therefore, the lead count would be off for the set, show, and sold rates. All of which can cause a lot of frustration. Or worse, the GM or manager reviews the 'one' call that showed not having an appointment set, calls the BDC Manager or Employee in - catching them off guard - ripping them a new one for not having an appointment - all while they DID have an appointment. This happens far more than you would think, and it was all due to reviewing an inaccurate, otherwise irrelevant report. 

So before you use the report as the only means of reviewing numbers, take the time to look at the actual data - that is, reviewing the CRM to see if the customers call had already been logged in the CRM. 

Bottom Line: this is not to say that reports are not important, but what this is offering is that simply review a report subscription does not, by any means, always paint the whole picture. And rather than only review the report, it is best to review the actual data and outcomes. All of which enables your team to focus on what is important, which is increasing sales through effective correspondence with the customer.