Martinez’s presentation “GRO Your Bottom Line” selected by auto dealers in a highly competitive process; joins an agenda with four award-wining authors and other industry experts

Daytona Beach, FL – October 6, 2015 – Mike Martinez, Chief Marketing Officer of DMEautomotive and AutoPoint, has been selected to present at the seventh annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), one of the largest gatherings of progressive dealer executives, on October 19^th at 11:15 AM at the Bellagio Las Vegas. Martinez’s presentation “GRO” Your Bottom Line was selected by a panel of dealers in a highly competitive process, in which only 1 in 3 applications was accepted. 

Martinez joins a powerhouse DSES agenda that includes a Harvard Business School faculty member, leading search marketing and content marketing strategists, branding experts and technology visionaries, and award-winning authors. The DSES has sold out every year since inception and hosted over 1,000 attendees last year. It is unique in the industry because auto dealers determine the speakers and agenda.

Martinez’s presentation addresses long-standing issues with traditional service retention metrics, and offers a new metric, GRO, that is designed to help dealers increase their customers’ lifetime spends in the dealership service lane and keep those customers coming back for their next vehicle purchases.

“Many dealers have the same problem: watching their service retention climb at a steady rate while their service revenue plateaus, or even decreases,” said Mike Walther, Managing Director of DMEautomotive. “GRO provides dealers with a simple, clear picture of the true health of their service operations and helps them put plans in place to increase revenue and retention. We’re very excited to present our proven metric to some of the top minds in the automotive industry, and to help them grow with ‘GRO’.”

In a study of GRO’s effect, DMEautomotive found that dealers that had an average GRO Score twice that of the majority of dealers (the “targeted range”) sold 75 more units, by increasing the percent of captured customer lifetime value as measured by GRO.

“Mike’s presentation was chosen from a competitive group of applicants comprising some of the industry’s most innovative dealer executives and thought leaders. Clearly, GRO resonated with our dealer panel because it offers the kind of ahead-of-the-curve insights, actionable information, and profit-building practices that our attendees can take home and immediately implement in their dealerships,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton. “We are very proud to add Mike Martinez of DMEautomotive to our 2015 agenda.”

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and to register before the event sells out, go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact events@drivingsales.com. Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation using #DSES as preparations continue throughout the year. 

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa), a Solera Holdings Inc. company, is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. Joined with Solera's network of global companies dedicated to innovation, DMEa's mission to increase customer engagement within the automotive industry is further strengthened.

Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data-driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida.

About Solera

Solera is a leading provider of risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace, including the global P&C insurance industry. Solera is active in over 75 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include: Audatex in the United States, Canada and in more than 60 additional countries; HPI, CarweB and CAP Automotive in the United Kingdom; Informex in Belgium and Greece; Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; Identifix, providing solutions for the service, maintenance and repair ("SMR") market; AutoPoint and DMEautomotive, providing data-driven tools to enhance SMR experiences and facilitate customer retention and marketing solutions for the retail automotive industry; and I&S, a provider of software and business management tools, third-party claims administration, first notice of loss and network management services to the U.S. auto and property repair industries, specializing in glass claims. For more information, please refer to the Solera's website at www.solerainc.com.

DMEautomotive Media Relations

Katie Gile, DMEautomotive, (904) 416-1451, Katie.gile@dmeautomotive.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is the industry’s leading resource for automotive dealership professionals to obtain actionable insight, education and connections to advance their careers and grow their businesses in a time of unprecedented market change.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by two thirds of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance. 

To learn more about the DrivingSales community, news, dealer education or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com.

DrivingSales Executive Summit Contact:
Christina DeVore
christina.devore@drivingsales.com
DrivingSales
866.943.8371x124

Martinez’s presentation “GRO Your Bottom Line” selected by auto dealers in a highly competitive process; joins an agenda with four award-wining authors and other industry experts

Daytona Beach, FL – October 6, 2015 – Mike Martinez, Chief Marketing Officer of DMEautomotive and AutoPoint, has been selected to present at the seventh annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), one of the largest gatherings of progressive dealer executives, on October 19^th at 11:15 AM at the Bellagio Las Vegas. Martinez’s presentation “GRO” Your Bottom Line was selected by a panel of dealers in a highly competitive process, in which only 1 in 3 applications was accepted. 

Martinez joins a powerhouse DSES agenda that includes a Harvard Business School faculty member, leading search marketing and content marketing strategists, branding experts and technology visionaries, and award-winning authors. The DSES has sold out every year since inception and hosted over 1,000 attendees last year. It is unique in the industry because auto dealers determine the speakers and agenda.

Martinez’s presentation addresses long-standing issues with traditional service retention metrics, and offers a new metric, GRO, that is designed to help dealers increase their customers’ lifetime spends in the dealership service lane and keep those customers coming back for their next vehicle purchases.

“Many dealers have the same problem: watching their service retention climb at a steady rate while their service revenue plateaus, or even decreases,” said Mike Walther, Managing Director of DMEautomotive. “GRO provides dealers with a simple, clear picture of the true health of their service operations and helps them put plans in place to increase revenue and retention. We’re very excited to present our proven metric to some of the top minds in the automotive industry, and to help them grow with ‘GRO’.”

In a study of GRO’s effect, DMEautomotive found that dealers that had an average GRO Score twice that of the majority of dealers (the “targeted range”) sold 75 more units, by increasing the percent of captured customer lifetime value as measured by GRO.

“Mike’s presentation was chosen from a competitive group of applicants comprising some of the industry’s most innovative dealer executives and thought leaders. Clearly, GRO resonated with our dealer panel because it offers the kind of ahead-of-the-curve insights, actionable information, and profit-building practices that our attendees can take home and immediately implement in their dealerships,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton. “We are very proud to add Mike Martinez of DMEautomotive to our 2015 agenda.”

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and to register before the event sells out, go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact events@drivingsales.com. Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation using #DSES as preparations continue throughout the year. 

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa), a Solera Holdings Inc. company, is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. Joined with Solera's network of global companies dedicated to innovation, DMEa's mission to increase customer engagement within the automotive industry is further strengthened.

Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data-driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida.

About Solera

Solera is a leading provider of risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace, including the global P&C insurance industry. Solera is active in over 75 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include: Audatex in the United States, Canada and in more than 60 additional countries; HPI, CarweB and CAP Automotive in the United Kingdom; Informex in Belgium and Greece; Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; Identifix, providing solutions for the service, maintenance and repair ("SMR") market; AutoPoint and DMEautomotive, providing data-driven tools to enhance SMR experiences and facilitate customer retention and marketing solutions for the retail automotive industry; and I&S, a provider of software and business management tools, third-party claims administration, first notice of loss and network management services to the U.S. auto and property repair industries, specializing in glass claims. For more information, please refer to the Solera's website at www.solerainc.com.

DMEautomotive Media Relations

Katie Gile, DMEautomotive, (904) 416-1451, Katie.gile@dmeautomotive.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is the industry’s leading resource for automotive dealership professionals to obtain actionable insight, education and connections to advance their careers and grow their businesses in a time of unprecedented market change.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by two thirds of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance. 

To learn more about the DrivingSales community, news, dealer education or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com.

DrivingSales Executive Summit Contact:
Christina DeVore
christina.devore@drivingsales.com
DrivingSales
866.943.8371x124

DMEa selected as a presenter for four key 2015 conferences: DealerSocket User Summit; Digital Dealer Conference & Expo; DrivingSales Executive Summit and Fixed Ops Conference & Expo

Daytona Beach, FL – September 22, 2015 – DMEautomotive (DMEa) today announced that it has been selected as a presenter for the 19^th Digital Dealer Conference & Expo.

Mary Sheridan PhD., Manager of Research & Analytics at DMEautomotive, will present at the upcoming 19th Digital Dealer Conference & Expo on October 5-7 in Las Vegas, NV. Located at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the Digital Dealer Conference & Expo is the largest and most progressive digital automotive event in the United States with the digital tools, education and peer contacts the automotive industry needs to solve problems, grow sales, increase customer retention and boost profits. With the largest representation of technology providers and new product introductions of any digital event in the industry, Digital Dealer affords attendees the opportunity to meet the experts, demo products from more than 120 companies, and build solutions for their businesses.

Mary’s presentation, “Grow with GRO: Drive Higher Lifetime Value” will occur on Wednesday, 10/7 from 11:00-11:55 am.

“We are so excited to be included among the brilliant professionals on the agenda for the 19^th Digital Dealer Conference & Expo,” said Mike Walther, Managing Director for DMEautomotive. “As a vendor with countless dealer customers, one of the biggest parts of our work is providing our clients with the information they need to succeed. We’re pleased that our topic has resonated so much with our clients, and very excited to present it to some of the top minds in the automotive industry at Digital Dealer.”

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa), a Solera Holdings Inc. company, is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. Joined with Solera's network of global companies dedicated to innovation, DMEa's mission to increase customer engagement within the automotive industry is further strengthened.

Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data-driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida.

About Solera

Solera is a leading provider of risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace, including the global P&C insurance industry. Solera is active in over 75 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include: Audatex in the United States, Canada and in more than 60 additional countries; HPI, CarweB and CAP Automotive in the United Kingdom; Informex in Belgium and Greece; Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; Identifix, providing solutions for the service, maintenance and repair ("SMR") market; AutoPoint and DMEautomotive, providing data-driven tools to enhance SMR experiences and facilitate customer retention and marketing solutions for the retail automotive industry; and I&S, a provider of software and business management tools, third-party claims administration, first notice of loss and network management services to the U.S. auto and property repair industries, specializing in glass claims. For more information, please refer to the Solera's website at www.solerainc.com. - See more at: http://ir.solerainc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=210437&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2075383#sthash.QNLUPKmj.dpuf

DMEautomotive Media Relations

Katie Gile, DMEautomotive, (904) 416-1451, katie.gile@dmeautomotive.com

DMEa selected as a presenter for four key 2015 conferences: DealerSocket User Summit; Digital Dealer Conference & Expo; DrivingSales Executive Summit and Fixed Ops Conference & Expo

Daytona Beach, FL – September 22, 2015 – DMEautomotive (DMEa) today announced that it has been selected as a presenter for the 19^th Digital Dealer Conference & Expo.

Mary Sheridan PhD., Manager of Research & Analytics at DMEautomotive, will present at the upcoming 19th Digital Dealer Conference & Expo on October 5-7 in Las Vegas, NV. Located at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the Digital Dealer Conference & Expo is the largest and most progressive digital automotive event in the United States with the digital tools, education and peer contacts the automotive industry needs to solve problems, grow sales, increase customer retention and boost profits. With the largest representation of technology providers and new product introductions of any digital event in the industry, Digital Dealer affords attendees the opportunity to meet the experts, demo products from more than 120 companies, and build solutions for their businesses.

Mary’s presentation, “Grow with GRO: Drive Higher Lifetime Value” will occur on Wednesday, 10/7 from 11:00-11:55 am.

“We are so excited to be included among the brilliant professionals on the agenda for the 19^th Digital Dealer Conference & Expo,” said Mike Walther, Managing Director for DMEautomotive. “As a vendor with countless dealer customers, one of the biggest parts of our work is providing our clients with the information they need to succeed. We’re pleased that our topic has resonated so much with our clients, and very excited to present it to some of the top minds in the automotive industry at Digital Dealer.”

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa), a Solera Holdings Inc. company, is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. Joined with Solera's network of global companies dedicated to innovation, DMEa's mission to increase customer engagement within the automotive industry is further strengthened.

Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data-driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida.

About Solera

Solera is a leading provider of risk and asset management software and services to the automotive and property marketplace, including the global P&C insurance industry. Solera is active in over 75 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include: Audatex in the United States, Canada and in more than 60 additional countries; HPI, CarweB and CAP Automotive in the United Kingdom; Informex in Belgium and Greece; Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; Identifix, providing solutions for the service, maintenance and repair ("SMR") market; AutoPoint and DMEautomotive, providing data-driven tools to enhance SMR experiences and facilitate customer retention and marketing solutions for the retail automotive industry; and I&S, a provider of software and business management tools, third-party claims administration, first notice of loss and network management services to the U.S. auto and property repair industries, specializing in glass claims. For more information, please refer to the Solera's website at www.solerainc.com. - See more at: http://ir.solerainc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=210437&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2075383#sthash.QNLUPKmj.dpuf

DMEautomotive Media Relations

Katie Gile, DMEautomotive, (904) 416-1451, katie.gile@dmeautomotive.com

f it’s not the most visited area in an automotive dealership, it’s arguably one with the most captive audiences.

No, it’s not the sales floor; it’s your automotive service area.

Whether it’s waiting for a vehicle to get prepped for delivery or waiting for it to get serviced, the automotive service area—more specifically the lounge—is home to the section of your dealership that has few distractions for customers, i.e. an audience that has little to do but wait.

What can your dealership offer as a distraction to not only entertain them while they wait, but also become an opportunity for creating a positive experience on your dealership?

• Pass the Time. Time is always an issue at the dealership’s service department.  Let’s face it, no one really enjoys sitting around a cold, uninviting waiting area.  When sitting around waiting for something—anything—to happen, your customers want something to do while they wait.  Why not offer your customers access to computer workstations equipped with free Internet access and/or outfitted with games or movies?  Not only can you help them pass the time, you can also make their experience pleasurable and positive, connotations that may not always be applied to an automotive service department experience.

• Service is Job 1. It goes without saying that your customer service experiences should heavily skew towards the “kill them with kindness” approach. However, the little things can go a long way to improving an experience.  Offering such free items like premium coffee, cold beverages, snacks and frequent updates on their vehicle’s progress give your customers the feeling that they’re special and unique.  Besides, you never know who is watching – it could mean a great review at an online site like DealerRater.com that boosts your dealership’s online reputation.

• Sales! Sales! Sales! Unfortunately, not all visits to the automotive service area are filled with great news – the customer’s vehicle may require significant and unexpected (and sometimes very costly) repairs or recommended services.  Or perhaps the customer is tired of putting money into their older vehicle.  In either scenario, the door is wide open for a sales opportunity.  Simply installing something like an interactive kiosk or small LCD screen by that premium coffee maker that displays some of the latest and greatest vehicles in your dealership line may be a catalyst for a new vehicle purchase.  Another option is to offer a Vehicle Buy Back program to entice the in-equity customers who have a particular vehicle your dealership is interested in purchasing from them.  Via a kiosk or board, you should display the individual’s name, a call to action (i.e., “Mrs. Wilson, we want your 2004 Ford Explorer.”) and address the customer when they enter the service area.  This process will facilitate additional sales for your dealership.

• Expand Your Reach! When a customer is sitting in your service area waiting room, there is no better time to capture their email address and engage them in your social media efforts.  As mentioned above, your dealership could set up a kiosk that allows Internet access.  However, in order to access the Internet, the individual must input their email address.  This process is quite common in hotels and coffee shops around the country.  In addition to Internet access, you could offer exclusive discounts to all customers who “like” your dealership on Facebook.  If you choose to implement this, you could use your service waiting area to promote your Facebook page by hanging posters, placing postcards at checkout and enabling your kiosk to display a Facebook screensaver.

In leveraging your automotive service area, you’re giving yourself a prime opportunity to create a positive experience for your customer, enhance communications with them and in the long run, create future sales opportunity as well.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

f it’s not the most visited area in an automotive dealership, it’s arguably one with the most captive audiences.

No, it’s not the sales floor; it’s your automotive service area.

Whether it’s waiting for a vehicle to get prepped for delivery or waiting for it to get serviced, the automotive service area—more specifically the lounge—is home to the section of your dealership that has few distractions for customers, i.e. an audience that has little to do but wait.

What can your dealership offer as a distraction to not only entertain them while they wait, but also become an opportunity for creating a positive experience on your dealership?

• Pass the Time. Time is always an issue at the dealership’s service department.  Let’s face it, no one really enjoys sitting around a cold, uninviting waiting area.  When sitting around waiting for something—anything—to happen, your customers want something to do while they wait.  Why not offer your customers access to computer workstations equipped with free Internet access and/or outfitted with games or movies?  Not only can you help them pass the time, you can also make their experience pleasurable and positive, connotations that may not always be applied to an automotive service department experience.

• Service is Job 1. It goes without saying that your customer service experiences should heavily skew towards the “kill them with kindness” approach. However, the little things can go a long way to improving an experience.  Offering such free items like premium coffee, cold beverages, snacks and frequent updates on their vehicle’s progress give your customers the feeling that they’re special and unique.  Besides, you never know who is watching – it could mean a great review at an online site like DealerRater.com that boosts your dealership’s online reputation.

• Sales! Sales! Sales! Unfortunately, not all visits to the automotive service area are filled with great news – the customer’s vehicle may require significant and unexpected (and sometimes very costly) repairs or recommended services.  Or perhaps the customer is tired of putting money into their older vehicle.  In either scenario, the door is wide open for a sales opportunity.  Simply installing something like an interactive kiosk or small LCD screen by that premium coffee maker that displays some of the latest and greatest vehicles in your dealership line may be a catalyst for a new vehicle purchase.  Another option is to offer a Vehicle Buy Back program to entice the in-equity customers who have a particular vehicle your dealership is interested in purchasing from them.  Via a kiosk or board, you should display the individual’s name, a call to action (i.e., “Mrs. Wilson, we want your 2004 Ford Explorer.”) and address the customer when they enter the service area.  This process will facilitate additional sales for your dealership.

• Expand Your Reach! When a customer is sitting in your service area waiting room, there is no better time to capture their email address and engage them in your social media efforts.  As mentioned above, your dealership could set up a kiosk that allows Internet access.  However, in order to access the Internet, the individual must input their email address.  This process is quite common in hotels and coffee shops around the country.  In addition to Internet access, you could offer exclusive discounts to all customers who “like” your dealership on Facebook.  If you choose to implement this, you could use your service waiting area to promote your Facebook page by hanging posters, placing postcards at checkout and enabling your kiosk to display a Facebook screensaver.

In leveraging your automotive service area, you’re giving yourself a prime opportunity to create a positive experience for your customer, enhance communications with them and in the long run, create future sales opportunity as well.

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

When it comes to setting up sales goals for your car dealership, there is no magic equation.

Some dealers use prior sales data, consider any changes in personnel and then make a reasonable guess as to how many vehicles they should sell the next month.  Some dealers compare last month’s sales data to the same month from last year.  Others use methods that require adding the number of vehicles in stock to calculate inventory turn rates.

No matter the tactic, the point is simple: there is no simple solution to project your sales goals.  Whatever equation you implement, the key to achieving those goals is to calculate the activity needed.

Tracking and reporting activity is a vital aspect in understanding exactly where in your sales process each associate needs help and it will help each of your associates achieve their goals.  The equation will remain the same but the numbers in the equation must be unique to each individual.   We’ve all heard the cliché that “sales are a numbers game.”  Most dealers track their close ratio by comparing the number of logged ups to sales.  In order to use statistics to help achieve your goals, the equation can be and needs to be more detailed and tailor-made for each associate.

For example, you set a goal of 10 cars next month for one of your sales associates (for this discussion, we’ll call him “Ben”).  Let’s work backwards from there to track Ben’s activity.  First, you’ll need answers to the following questions:

• How many “write ups” does it require for Ben to sell a vehicle?
• How many test drives does it take Ben to complete a “write up?”
• How many people does Ben need to greet on the sales lot to complete a test drive?
• If you rotate “phone ups” track those statistics too.
• Of those “phone ups,” how many does it take for Ben to set an appointment?
• Of those appointments, how many does Ben need to set in order to get a “lot up”?

Now you have Ben’s activity stats to help Ben understand what activity he needs to generate in order to meet his goal.  For example, let’s say his numbers are the following:

• 10 sales = 20 write ups
• 20 writes = 30 test drives
• 30 test drives = 35 lot ups
• 5 shown appointments = 10 scheduled appointments
• 10 scheduled appointments = 20 phone ups

So, Ben will need 35 lot-ups each month to reach the 30 test drives and 20 write-ups to ultimately reach his projected goal of 10 sales.  For phone ups, he will need to answer the phone 20 times next month to reach his projected goals.

When your dealership starts to create associate-specific goals, you’ll need to keep measurements like this in mind.  There will also be other factors at work, like the “40/60 Rule” (which states that 60% of vehicles are sold in the final 2 weeks of the month).

The other key to successfully using statistics to achieve your goals is to drill your equations all the way down to daily activity.  After a few months, give your associates their sales goals and let them calculate the activity needed to accomplish their goals.

So before setting up next month’s projections and goals, take a look at the stats from your activity for your current month and grind away!

~ Steve Dozier, National Director of Training @ DMEautomotive

Bio:

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

When it comes to setting up sales goals for your car dealership, there is no magic equation.

Some dealers use prior sales data, consider any changes in personnel and then make a reasonable guess as to how many vehicles they should sell the next month.  Some dealers compare last month’s sales data to the same month from last year.  Others use methods that require adding the number of vehicles in stock to calculate inventory turn rates.

No matter the tactic, the point is simple: there is no simple solution to project your sales goals.  Whatever equation you implement, the key to achieving those goals is to calculate the activity needed.

Tracking and reporting activity is a vital aspect in understanding exactly where in your sales process each associate needs help and it will help each of your associates achieve their goals.  The equation will remain the same but the numbers in the equation must be unique to each individual.   We’ve all heard the cliché that “sales are a numbers game.”  Most dealers track their close ratio by comparing the number of logged ups to sales.  In order to use statistics to help achieve your goals, the equation can be and needs to be more detailed and tailor-made for each associate.

For example, you set a goal of 10 cars next month for one of your sales associates (for this discussion, we’ll call him “Ben”).  Let’s work backwards from there to track Ben’s activity.  First, you’ll need answers to the following questions:

• How many “write ups” does it require for Ben to sell a vehicle?
• How many test drives does it take Ben to complete a “write up?”
• How many people does Ben need to greet on the sales lot to complete a test drive?
• If you rotate “phone ups” track those statistics too.
• Of those “phone ups,” how many does it take for Ben to set an appointment?
• Of those appointments, how many does Ben need to set in order to get a “lot up”?

Now you have Ben’s activity stats to help Ben understand what activity he needs to generate in order to meet his goal.  For example, let’s say his numbers are the following:

• 10 sales = 20 write ups
• 20 writes = 30 test drives
• 30 test drives = 35 lot ups
• 5 shown appointments = 10 scheduled appointments
• 10 scheduled appointments = 20 phone ups

So, Ben will need 35 lot-ups each month to reach the 30 test drives and 20 write-ups to ultimately reach his projected goal of 10 sales.  For phone ups, he will need to answer the phone 20 times next month to reach his projected goals.

When your dealership starts to create associate-specific goals, you’ll need to keep measurements like this in mind.  There will also be other factors at work, like the “40/60 Rule” (which states that 60% of vehicles are sold in the final 2 weeks of the month).

The other key to successfully using statistics to achieve your goals is to drill your equations all the way down to daily activity.  After a few months, give your associates their sales goals and let them calculate the activity needed to accomplish their goals.

So before setting up next month’s projections and goals, take a look at the stats from your activity for your current month and grind away!

~ Steve Dozier, National Director of Training @ DMEautomotive

Bio:

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

In the automotive industry, if there is one thing we know for certain it is that change is constant and necessary for survival.  Whether it’s changes in management, sales people, service writers and/or what incentives are in place at the dealership…change is bound to happen…and frequently.  Every dealer would love to put into action a permanent sales plan and deal flow but that won’t lend itself well to reality.  Car dealers better be good at change in order to survive.

How can you be good at change?  I know it’s easier said than done but the key is to have a process in place as to how you’ll deal with change and document the process!  In essence, plan for change as well as possible.  Unfortunately creating that process is the easiest part of “the process”.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that “the Devil is in the details” and that’s certainly true when you’re trying to create/change a process in your store.

Have you ever stopped, taken an outside the box view and asked yourself why changes are so hard to implement?  I’ve not only asked, I’ve studied it.  Here are some of the reasons or challenges to why change is so difficult to accomplish:

* You’re convinced the changes you’re going to implement will improve the situation.  But no one else is.  Since they are likely the ones that will actually do the day-to-day work, you NEVER see improvement.  Most people see new processes or change as “just one more thing I have to do today!”

* As a manager, you create a process and expect it to be followed.  However, you don’t micromanage it and ultimately you don’t inspect the process.

* A new process gets implemented in your store, but there are no tangible measuring tools.  You follow up by asking people, “How’s the new process going?”  We all know what’s going to happen next…they’re going to tell you it’s going great!

I’ve been there, I’ve heard your staff talk and trust me… what they’re saying is “Don’t worry about following this plan; he’ll change it or forget about it in a couple of weeks”.  And they think to themselves, “If I ignore it, “it” will go away.”  But as you and I both know, it won’t go away.  Something new will always change.

Here are 6 steps to successfully implementing new processes and ultimately change at your dealership:

1. Think your solution through first.  It’s okay to make minor changes, but don’t put yourself in a position to have to make major changes every couple of weeks in order to reach your “final destination”.

2. Share the problem with your staff members.  It’s imperative that your employees understand why the current change is needed (and perhaps even required).

3. Get employees’ commitment to implement the new process/change.  In other words, have them take some  “ownership” in the process.

4. Create obtainable/tangible landmarks within your process

5. Explain your measuring “tool” when and how you’ll evaluate improvement.

a. Define the rewards for the staff members involved who achieve success and define the negative consequences for those who don’t.

b. Give the staff members the appropriate level of authority to make the necessary decisions to achieve the goal.  Give them a sense of “empowerment”.

6. Micromanage the project for at least 21 days.

The worst thing you can do after you’ve got a good start to this process is to assume it’s going to continue to improve when you’re not micromanaging it.  Evaluate your staff’s performance.  Also identify a “leader”…You’re not looking for another manager; you’re looking for a project coordinator.  Explain to the staff that the coordinator is not their manager; he’s the one reporting the results to you on a weekly/semi weekly basis.

Communication is one of the most important aspects in the process.  As I’ve said throughout, change is constant and necessary…you must communicate this to your employees.  The majority of the time, change doesn’t come from within; rather, it comes from the manufacturer or from the consumers.  Don’t hesitate to explain this to your staff so they understand the reasons behind the need for change and the process you’re implementing. When your dealership comes up against change, put a plan together, work through it and encourage everyone in the dealership to get on board!

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

In the automotive industry, if there is one thing we know for certain it is that change is constant and necessary for survival.  Whether it’s changes in management, sales people, service writers and/or what incentives are in place at the dealership…change is bound to happen…and frequently.  Every dealer would love to put into action a permanent sales plan and deal flow but that won’t lend itself well to reality.  Car dealers better be good at change in order to survive.

How can you be good at change?  I know it’s easier said than done but the key is to have a process in place as to how you’ll deal with change and document the process!  In essence, plan for change as well as possible.  Unfortunately creating that process is the easiest part of “the process”.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that “the Devil is in the details” and that’s certainly true when you’re trying to create/change a process in your store.

Have you ever stopped, taken an outside the box view and asked yourself why changes are so hard to implement?  I’ve not only asked, I’ve studied it.  Here are some of the reasons or challenges to why change is so difficult to accomplish:

* You’re convinced the changes you’re going to implement will improve the situation.  But no one else is.  Since they are likely the ones that will actually do the day-to-day work, you NEVER see improvement.  Most people see new processes or change as “just one more thing I have to do today!”

* As a manager, you create a process and expect it to be followed.  However, you don’t micromanage it and ultimately you don’t inspect the process.

* A new process gets implemented in your store, but there are no tangible measuring tools.  You follow up by asking people, “How’s the new process going?”  We all know what’s going to happen next…they’re going to tell you it’s going great!

I’ve been there, I’ve heard your staff talk and trust me… what they’re saying is “Don’t worry about following this plan; he’ll change it or forget about it in a couple of weeks”.  And they think to themselves, “If I ignore it, “it” will go away.”  But as you and I both know, it won’t go away.  Something new will always change.

Here are 6 steps to successfully implementing new processes and ultimately change at your dealership:

1. Think your solution through first.  It’s okay to make minor changes, but don’t put yourself in a position to have to make major changes every couple of weeks in order to reach your “final destination”.

2. Share the problem with your staff members.  It’s imperative that your employees understand why the current change is needed (and perhaps even required).

3. Get employees’ commitment to implement the new process/change.  In other words, have them take some  “ownership” in the process.

4. Create obtainable/tangible landmarks within your process

5. Explain your measuring “tool” when and how you’ll evaluate improvement.

a. Define the rewards for the staff members involved who achieve success and define the negative consequences for those who don’t.

b. Give the staff members the appropriate level of authority to make the necessary decisions to achieve the goal.  Give them a sense of “empowerment”.

6. Micromanage the project for at least 21 days.

The worst thing you can do after you’ve got a good start to this process is to assume it’s going to continue to improve when you’re not micromanaging it.  Evaluate your staff’s performance.  Also identify a “leader”…You’re not looking for another manager; you’re looking for a project coordinator.  Explain to the staff that the coordinator is not their manager; he’s the one reporting the results to you on a weekly/semi weekly basis.

Communication is one of the most important aspects in the process.  As I’ve said throughout, change is constant and necessary…you must communicate this to your employees.  The majority of the time, change doesn’t come from within; rather, it comes from the manufacturer or from the consumers.  Don’t hesitate to explain this to your staff so they understand the reasons behind the need for change and the process you’re implementing. When your dealership comes up against change, put a plan together, work through it and encourage everyone in the dealership to get on board!

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.