Comments on: CRM is putting your well-oiled machine back on the assembly line

By: Changing CRM's - DealerRefresh Automotive Technology Forums

Changing CRM's - DealerRefresh Automotive Technology Forums — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:26:03 +0000

[...] and weep: Rey Rey – Bad email remove IMO, Alex and Jeff are VERY skilled in all things CRM. FYI: CRM and Internet Technology Has Crept in Dealership’s Back Doors __________________ Joe Pistell …Marketing Director …Sun Auto Warehouse -Download Free [...]

By: Using a Smartphone for lead management? - DealerRefresh Automotive Technology Forums

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:34:28 +0000

[...] sorry to hear that. I used the POS for a year. Don't get me wrong..I believe that no matter what CRM you are using it can help promote process. Unfortunately you were using an ILM that most likely had the features that kept your process more [...]

By: Mike Elmore

Mike Elmore — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:57:41 +0000

Alex,
Great read, and very “spot on”. Getting “traditional sales managers” on board with working and LIVING in a CRM is a constant battle for me, besides getting a bigger stick, any ideas you’d like to share on how to ‘nudge them in the right direction? Thanks
p.s. where’s the spell check in this tool?

By: Shawn Morse

Shawn Morse — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:12:14 +0000

Alex
Great article, as you know I am a huge CRM advocate and have been for some time. It is amazing to me how many dealers still don’t think they need a CRM. Obviously not the dealers that frequent this site and others like it, but you really would be suprised. It seems to me that those dealers, the ones with no dedicated internet dept. and “no need for a CRM” are not going to be prepared for the next phase of the automobile business. You do a great job of pointing out how important it is to make full use of the tools you have. Unfortunatley there are alot of ISM’s out there that dont have many tools but know they need them. The hard part for them is trying to convince there GM/Dealer that a quality process will make more money for the store then it will ever cost. Somtimes it is frustrating to lead the horse to water and watch them not drink.

By: Jennifer Schrader

Jennifer Schrader — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:43:28 +0000

Jim –

I agree with you. Our online prospects has an unlimited amount of resources to pull information from and are locked and loaded when coming in.

Great article!

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:38:51 +0000

Very nice article. The main problem with a BDC arrangement is lack of product knowledge,and or salesmanship abilities.

The typical internet prospect is loaded with specific information when they initiate contact with you. If your personnel are not equally prepared then business is lost. A simple question we ask ourselves frequently is are we aware of what the current market is doing in our area. To me that is the secret of the internet to stay competative in a ever changing market. JMHO

By: Alex Snyder

Alex Snyder — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:58:26 +0000

Thanks guys. It is truly amazing how well people start taking to your various technologies when you just do some simple one on one’s. If salesmanagers did more one on one’s it would be amazing how great a salesfloor could become. Fortunately the CRM provides the points to get the conversation started and is fantastic for pointing out which areas need to be concentrated on.

By: Kevin Frye

Kevin Frye — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:41:34 +0000

Very good piece Alex. Everyone reading this should be very attentive to the fact that when we emerge from this down market, your dealership must be a leaner and more efficient operation to compete effectively in the future. “The days of compensating for inconsistencies by adding more staff is over” rings true and ties directly into the fact that you must operate with less expense and waste. This also applies when looking at your lead sources, and really focusing on maximizing the return on your best lead source, your own website – and then getting the best return on those leads by managing a great process (utilizing your CRM)…

By: Andy Wright

Andy Wright — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:55:15 +0000

Alex

Great post and very accurate. We dissolved our centralized BDC in favor of individuals in each store that are held accountable by the managers. Its working with moderate success although from a general management standpoint, the centralized model was easier from a training and accountability standpoint. The system is key in that it can’t be filled with bugs that prohibit the process from being executed. We were able to tailor our processes to our system. Its been a long time with many challenges but its working for us.

With that said, this is a great post and I think it is highly representative of what most dealerships and the dealer industry as a whole are coming to grips with.