Since I started my public relations position at an automotive CRM company, I have waded through my fair share of poorly designed dealership websites. The pop-up ads are annoying, the graphics can be garish, and there seems to be a consistent lack of transparency for many dealers. And yet, the biggest problem that I encounter is locating the employees on the dealer website. Obviously, as a dealership trying to sell cars, it makes sense to have the inventory front and center. In my opinion, it makes even more sense to have a friendly face front-and-center of the website to make the virtual shopping experience more personable.  This brings me to the question that every dealer should ask his or herself: Can people navigate this dealership website?

As of 2013, 52% of all marketers maintain a Facebook account and 42% of Twitter users provide opinions about products and services regularly. Social media is an emerging and important internet platform for personal use and business use alike, but that does not mean that one should neglect the online presence one conveys through a website.  Let’s run through the obvious must-haves for a successful and user-friendly dealer website:

• Honest inventory
  • Too often I come across venomous reviews of dealer websites that were out of date with their cars in stock. It is imperative to keep the website inventory up to date, because these days over 90% of customers begin their car-buying experience online. If a dream car is available online but not in person, not only does the dealership lose a sale, it gets a dent in its reputation.  
• Honest pricing
  • If a misleading online inventory is damaging to a sale and reputation, then misleading online pricing is devastating. Today’s digital consumer will come to a dealership armed with a printout of the online pricing, any coupons or deals available, and competitive pricing from area dealers. If the dealer isn’t prepared to honor these deals, then they might as well take them off the site, because the repercussions are worse than the loss of any single sale.
• Testimonials
  • While testimonials don’t need to be as prominently presented as new cars and deals, using actual positive customer experience is cheaper than hiring a copywriter and its wonderfully authentic. Video testimonials are great for social media, but a page of quotes and pictures from satisfied customers will definitely do the trick.
• Staff for Sales and Service
  • It is important for the dealer staff, both sales and service, to be easily accessible. On the staff page there should at least be a thumbnail-sized headshot with name, title, and contact information for every employee. It gives the dealer an air of confidence. “You can call any of us any time and ask us anything about your car’s needs. We promise.”
• Social Media Handles
  • Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google + and even Pinterest tiles are pretty standard for any company website, but they remain an important cornerstone to customer interaction. Honestly, it’s free marketing. Live chat is also a great feature if a dealer has the resources to maintain it. If there isn’t enough time or money to create a prompt and resourceful live chat feature, then it’s probably best not to have it.
• Multi-platform Capabilities
  • Does the dealer website look just as good on a smart phone or tablet as it does on a computer screen? Pinching and zooming on a smaller screen to access a website is possible, but inconvenient. If a dealer website is best suited for whatever platform a customer may choose, then web traffic is sure to increase.

How to present this information is where there seems to be a great divergence of opinions. Personally, I think that dealers should build a site that they themselves would want to see. Often it seems that advertisers and marketers forget that they are appealing to people, not foreign entities that speak a strange, excited, spastic buzz-word language. There is a sense of professionalism and cool that comes inherently with a streamlined website. Clean and uncluttered are classic, and while there is a lot of information to keep on a dealer website, keeping it organized and easy to navigate will only benefit the business.

Automotive CRM is not a new concept. In fact, before the ‘90s when statistically more people came to dealerships with the goal of buying a car more than any other time in our recent history, salespeople couldn’t afford to wait on ups.  They resorted to logging their past customers, following up with them for service or trade-ins, or even calling to wish them a happy birthday or anniversary. If these efforts were unsuccessful, a salesperson could always try cold calling. Remember those things called phone books?  Regardless of the methodology, the spirit behind CRM remains building and maintaining relationships.

Today, with the assistance of technology, cold calling has really turned into warm calling. However, there’s still nothing like a friendly phone call to a former customer to keep up general rapport or even to prospect the household. While it is technically possible to manually log all of the customers, connections, and clients into a secret notebook, this is no longer necessary or recommended. By using a CRM software, it just takes consistent upkeep and monitoring for any salesperson to maintain a dynamite customer database. Automotive CRM software is more than just a database, however. It is a very versatile tool for planning and management.

The fact is, the best sales results are achieved with hard work paired with a robust CRM tool. The CRM is not designed to do all the work for the dealer, only most of it. The last crucial step comes with a dealer’s initiative to make a sale and continue the relationships that perpetuate his or her livelihood. The days of the “magic ups” are long gone, so proactivity is key in being a successful car salesperson. Automotive CRM programs are capable of sending out automatic, mass e-mails to customers for things like discounts and service reminders, but it can’t pick up a phone or mail a letter for you. It’s not always about how well a dealer can sell; it’s about creating one’s own opportunities.

Be creative and personalize your CRM strategy. Using the resources available through her own CRM, Tammie LeBleu became the number two Nissan salesperson in the nation. Of course she did the follow-ups, scheduled appointments, and kept track of personal birthdays and anniversaries for her clients, but she likes to go the extra mile. LeBleu will send out personalized cards, even including recipes and photos, because she knows the importance of giving back to her client base. It doesn’t make much sense to spend thousands on advertising at the dealership without spending anything on postage to make a personal connection with those who have already chosen to do business with that dealer.

Not only is relationship management nourishing to a business, it is also the catalyst for unprompted repeat business and even referrals. When a connection is made with a person, it extends to their friends and family to ultimately improve the dealer’s reputation. When you fight to sell instead of standing by at the whim of chance, your business is set into motion and clients start seeking you out.