There are muffins, and there are great muffins. The kind we get our of a plastic package from a vending machine or at a continental breakfast at a hotel usually meets the hunger requirements, but it's usually not exceptionally enjoyable. Compare that to a muffin from your favorite bakery and the experience can be like night and day.

Why is that? They have the same basic ingredients. There's the freshness component, but even packaged muffins are usually not that old because the shelf-life is so short on them. It really comes down to the way that they're prepared and baked. It comes down quality.

The difference between muffins is like the difference between customer database marketing solutions. When I speak to dealers across the nation, there is a good number of you who have some sort of customer database marketing in place. Perhaps it's an automated follow-up system through your CRM. Maybe you have a BDC procedure that tries to cultivate the relationship over time. These are fine and they're (usually) better than nothing, but they're usually result in very little tangible value as far is increasing sales and service business.

They're packaged muffins.

A true customer database marketing strategy requires quality, care, and strategy. It requires taking your database and improving on it based upon referencing other data that is available. It's about appending the data to make it more accurate and therefore more effective.

It also requires proper messaging. One of the biggest mistakes that I see dealers and even other vendors make is that they separate out their databases to target service customers and sales customers. The reality is that you have customers. Your service customers should be buying cars from you. Your sales customers should be getting their cars serviced through you. The strategies that can take the two types of customers and turn them into a strong set of "whole" customers is something that simply cannot be done through standard automated systems.

The packaged muffins won't get the job done.

A great muffin means putting together the right recipe (strategy) to nurture them properly. It's about staying in front of them with the right messages and being relevant to their needs before, during, and after they're fulfilled.

As you think about all of this, ask yourself if you're taking full advantage of your customer database in a way that is translating into dramatic increases in business and customer loyalty. Today, the loyalty factor has been abandoned by many simply because customers in the digital age seem to be less willing to do business with the same companies over and over again. They've broadened their horizons thanks to the internet. You can take advantage of this by nurturing them appropriately and constantly. The most successful dealers in the coming years will not be the ones that are relying on getting new business. The most successful dealers will have a strong balance between acquiring new customers and keeping their current ones.

Look at your strategy and decide whether it's really going after your current and past customers with the fervor it deserves. If not, it's time to explore a new strategy.

It's time to bake a great muffin.

There are muffins, and there are great muffins. The kind we get our of a plastic package from a vending machine or at a continental breakfast at a hotel usually meets the hunger requirements, but it's usually not exceptionally enjoyable. Compare that to a muffin from your favorite bakery and the experience can be like night and day.

Why is that? They have the same basic ingredients. There's the freshness component, but even packaged muffins are usually not that old because the shelf-life is so short on them. It really comes down to the way that they're prepared and baked. It comes down quality.

The difference between muffins is like the difference between customer database marketing solutions. When I speak to dealers across the nation, there is a good number of you who have some sort of customer database marketing in place. Perhaps it's an automated follow-up system through your CRM. Maybe you have a BDC procedure that tries to cultivate the relationship over time. These are fine and they're (usually) better than nothing, but they're usually result in very little tangible value as far is increasing sales and service business.

They're packaged muffins.

A true customer database marketing strategy requires quality, care, and strategy. It requires taking your database and improving on it based upon referencing other data that is available. It's about appending the data to make it more accurate and therefore more effective.

It also requires proper messaging. One of the biggest mistakes that I see dealers and even other vendors make is that they separate out their databases to target service customers and sales customers. The reality is that you have customers. Your service customers should be buying cars from you. Your sales customers should be getting their cars serviced through you. The strategies that can take the two types of customers and turn them into a strong set of "whole" customers is something that simply cannot be done through standard automated systems.

The packaged muffins won't get the job done.

A great muffin means putting together the right recipe (strategy) to nurture them properly. It's about staying in front of them with the right messages and being relevant to their needs before, during, and after they're fulfilled.

As you think about all of this, ask yourself if you're taking full advantage of your customer database in a way that is translating into dramatic increases in business and customer loyalty. Today, the loyalty factor has been abandoned by many simply because customers in the digital age seem to be less willing to do business with the same companies over and over again. They've broadened their horizons thanks to the internet. You can take advantage of this by nurturing them appropriately and constantly. The most successful dealers in the coming years will not be the ones that are relying on getting new business. The most successful dealers will have a strong balance between acquiring new customers and keeping their current ones.

Look at your strategy and decide whether it's really going after your current and past customers with the fervor it deserves. If not, it's time to explore a new strategy.

It's time to bake a great muffin.

The words "big data" have been buzzing around the marketing and advertising world for a few years now. Technology has made it possible to do things with data through analysis and proper utilization that weren't very easy a decade ago. It's a good thing, but it's not enough.

In the automotive industry, we see it used for everything from conquest sales to social media promotions. There's nothing wrong with this except for the fact that most in our industry are only seeing the tip of iceberg. Big data is great but the latest advances in technology make it possible to take advantage of both "big data" as well as "better data".

Many dealers are starting to see the benefits of using their internal databases to drive continued business with the dealership. It's great to go out and get new customers but there's a goldmine of opportunity within your existing clientele. Many companies are pushing this through direct mail, email, and other forms of communication, but nearly everyone is missing the opportunities that are created by improving on the data itself.

We have big data. Now, we have to turn it into better data.

For example, there are huge opportunities in appending the data based upon changes in circumstance. Let's say a customer gets married. She's driving the same car and may or may not be living in the same address. Her phone number is probably the same but she now has a different last name. By appending the data based upon the likely scenario that she got married, we can better attend to her needs and send her the right messages to get her back into the dealership.

Another challenge with big data is that it over-categorizes people. Just because the technology is there to put people into categories doesn't mean that it should be done. Dealers should not have service customers and sales customers. They have customers. You should be trying to get those who bought a car from you to also have the car serviced at your dealership. You should be trying to get those who come in for service to also purchase their next vehicle from you. This can be done when you tear down the category walls and tune the messages appropriately to the individuals.

Big data is the past and present. In many ways, it's also still the future, but it can be improved upon in the automotive industry by letting go of some restrictions and focusing on improving the quality of the data itself. Dealers that do this are the ones that will be able to improve their loyalty as well as their bottom line.

The words "big data" have been buzzing around the marketing and advertising world for a few years now. Technology has made it possible to do things with data through analysis and proper utilization that weren't very easy a decade ago. It's a good thing, but it's not enough.

In the automotive industry, we see it used for everything from conquest sales to social media promotions. There's nothing wrong with this except for the fact that most in our industry are only seeing the tip of iceberg. Big data is great but the latest advances in technology make it possible to take advantage of both "big data" as well as "better data".

Many dealers are starting to see the benefits of using their internal databases to drive continued business with the dealership. It's great to go out and get new customers but there's a goldmine of opportunity within your existing clientele. Many companies are pushing this through direct mail, email, and other forms of communication, but nearly everyone is missing the opportunities that are created by improving on the data itself.

We have big data. Now, we have to turn it into better data.

For example, there are huge opportunities in appending the data based upon changes in circumstance. Let's say a customer gets married. She's driving the same car and may or may not be living in the same address. Her phone number is probably the same but she now has a different last name. By appending the data based upon the likely scenario that she got married, we can better attend to her needs and send her the right messages to get her back into the dealership.

Another challenge with big data is that it over-categorizes people. Just because the technology is there to put people into categories doesn't mean that it should be done. Dealers should not have service customers and sales customers. They have customers. You should be trying to get those who bought a car from you to also have the car serviced at your dealership. You should be trying to get those who come in for service to also purchase their next vehicle from you. This can be done when you tear down the category walls and tune the messages appropriately to the individuals.

Big data is the past and present. In many ways, it's also still the future, but it can be improved upon in the automotive industry by letting go of some restrictions and focusing on improving the quality of the data itself. Dealers that do this are the ones that will be able to improve their loyalty as well as their bottom line.