Internet Lead Manager (ILM) Tools, where are they?

Are there any lead management tools out there similar to Cobalt's LMCC, in regards to the personal organization/customization/layout & broadcast (mass email) features?
We are averaging 50+ leads a day in our internet department, and our total customer database is closing in on 60,000 files in LMCC.
If we were to make a switch, some of the other lead management tools we have looked at just won't work with the volume we have, or the handling process we use.
LMCC is okay, but if there are any other tools out there similar to it, perhaps a little more up to date, I would really like to read up on them.
Any tips?

Shawn, you're exactly right, I guess I didn't complete my sentence. Contact me if you're interested in learning how. It really actually is easy once you get your arms wrapped around it.

Mike there in lies the problem "ADP CRM iLeads does work. I’ve worked with it for 8+ years, you just have to know how to work it." How many people are at a dealership for 8+ years. For a system to be effective and have buy in from the users it must be easy to use.

I am an independent consultant focused primarily on ADP w.e.b. CRM. One of my dealerships asked me to actually prove my concepts (it's easy to talk about selling cars, now show us you can do it)! They use ADP w.e.b. CRM and so we set it up and I'm currently running the internet department for one of their stores from my office.
The first month (March 2010) we had as many appointment shows and had 2 less sales than they did the months of January and February combined.
ADP CRM iLeads does work. I've worked with it for 8+ years, you just have to know how to work it.

We've been using Dealersight for almost a year now. The emailing system is kind of broken if you're running Vista/7 (we get errors constantly, but thank god for Ubuntu Linux!), but it's simplistic and works. Recommended for small-to-mid dealerships looking for a cost-effective CRM, as long as you have a separate emailing client.

You forgot one name, DealerUps, Great custom Templates, nice automated schedule set-ups. No additional user cost,Can be used for multi points or single points.It is modulated to become anything you want, DeskLog,Inbound and outbound call capture, campaigns. More than happy to give you afforable pricing Guy.Manasse@DealerUps.com

Craig,

If you are looking for lead management tool, you can try our "DOLLAR" system. It can:
* Issue alerts when leads arrive
* Manage appointment scheduling -- even from other vendors or your own Web site
* Automatically distribute leads -- even at separate locations
* Manage follow-up efforts
* Pull credit in real time and submit to lendors via DealerTrack or RouteOne
* Customizable reporting on ROI
http://www.carloanco.com/products-and-services/lea...
Contact our one of our sales reps for a demo @ 888-888-7227

Craig
Contact me and I will be happy to give you pricing on VinSolutions. Are you looking for an ILM stand alone or as part of a CRM? Some of the vendors on your list can't/wont break out the ILM...FYI
shawn.morse@vinsolutions.com

We use Dealer.com for our website, and we use their Lead Machine product for ILM. Prior to Dealer, I used ProMax. Both systems are difficult to set up and use. I need a system focuses on the basics and makes it simple.

It would be a huge help if someone could post pricing so I could narrow down my list before I start doing demos.

Potential interested in:
1. VinSolutions
3. CarResearch
4. IMagicLab
5. SalesForce
6. DealerSocket
7. ELeadCRM

For a low cost, easy to use CRM software program (fondly called "Jeeves") check out, DealerSoft, LLC (wwww.keepyourcustomer.com) of Hoffman Estates, IL.. For $10.00 per day for an entire dealership (per roof) with month to month agreement this is a "secure" server based CRM program (to protect data from off premise access by Identity Thief's, Hackers and disgruntled employees). Also, available is a ILM module and also an inbound "and" outbound call Telephone Call Control Module to insure more follow-up calls are made and Phone Up's are automatically entered in the CRM database.

I rarely chime in on this or any site but there are a couple of comments on iMagicLab data policy that needed clarification. This is not an ad for us and I likely won't comment further after this post to avoid it appearing as a sales pitch.

When I founded iMagicLab we had no data policy and I was fond of saying "it's your data and we'll never restrict you from having it". Over the years we've had to change that policy for 2 reasons:

1. Security of data. When you export data from any system it contains customer information that is both sensitive and private. Having it in a nice little file on your computer opens your dealership and iMagicLab to huge lawsuits if something happens to it. My whole company is based on protecting your customers information and the risk of having it floating around is huge. Now, before it's said; I am not suggesting that the individual asking for data is not responsible but as with anything valuable our policy requires dealer principles to approve the release of their data to their employees. This releases iMagicLab of liability and insures that data is only in the hands of a trusted employee. Many times over the years I have heard about people bringing customer lists to new stores, we error on the side of caution.

2. Some dealers were not being honest. iMagicLab runs a month to month service with a one month notice requirement in the contract. Also in our Agreement is the explicit notice that NO full exports will be given if your account is not paid in full for what you owe us. Look, we're not ignorant to the fact that dealers hate paying for something they are not using and when a dealer has decided to leave us they usually are in a rush to get going on their new tool. Unfortunately this means that a few dishonest people ask for full exports of their full data before they cancel our service and then never pay their closing bill as they agreed to do when they signed up with us. We do our part in providing the service as per the Agreement and we deserve to be paid without chasing the few dishonest dealers who have ruined it for the vast majority of our customers who would never conceive of trying to do this to save a buck.

Let’s just be honest here, our data policies are strict and our accounting policies are tough. IF our dealers think through their needs and get the signature of their dealer principles it all flows just fine.

Let’s have a great 2010.

Keith
klatman@imagiclab.com

Scott we are hearing about added charges all the time for things just to function. There has been a big curve recently where Dealers are in fact using there CRM or ILM the way they should. The OEM's and DMS Data companies requirements to keep Dealers compliant and certified have really put a strain on some CRM-ILM's companies. With the loss of so many Dealers nationwide and added development cost many companies were not prepared for the added cost of additional development, hence passing a lot of changes on to the Dealer. If your looking for something extremely functional and priced fairly we would like an opportunity to talk. Look at www.DealerUps.com, call sales and we will call you.

We use Imagic for ILM and autobase for CRM. We are considering a move and know Imagic will be a problem holding our data hostage. We need an export each month for our e-newsletter and they make it nearly impossible! They claim to have a process but they torture us every month. I was considering moving my entire system to them ILM/CRM but won't do it based on their spotty tech support and draconian R&R like data policies not to mention my unsubstantiated concerns about where their company is headed. I don't know whether Latman got a raw deal or what but I just can't risk it.

Daily Gameplan has produced Sales & Follow-Up Systems since 1998 for the automotive industry. Recently, they came out with an online CRM that is only $20 per salesperson (plus a one time ULA of $299, $59 per individual.) There are also no contracts just month to month, which means you can cancel at anytime. Even if you use both the planners and the online, you're paying way less than the majority of CRMs out there for a comparable, if not better, product. Downfall? Although very inexpensive, the hardest part is getting your team to use them. If you can do that, you're golden.

This sounds simple but when our stores designed follow up processes we wanted to have a flexible best-in-class tool. We have been with www.SalesForce.com for two years now and love it. This SaaS gives our IT managers the ability to dictate business process defined by brand managers and department heads. The downside is our DMS (R&R) is so proprietary we have been forced to write our own API's with out their consent.

Steve other dealerships have had that issue after they have notified the current CRM provider that they are switching to a new vendor. Some times it is just hard to let go I guess.

Hi All,

Please also consider our Lead Management System called "DOLLAR." DOLLAR helps combines people, process, and technology in a highly profitable way.

It is designed not to reinvent the wheel, but rather to streamline your current process. We believe in accountability and a measured ROI, with that being said, one of the most important things to consider is your dealership can’t measure what it does not track.

We Have the Solution to manage your leads:
-Walk in traffic
--Internet leads
--Phone applications
--Import 3rd party leads from alternate sources
--Dealer Track Integration
--Route One Integration
Lead Freshness is our top priority:
--3rd party duplicate lead filtering
--New lead notification via text messages & emails
-Send applications to over 200 electronically integrated lenders
-Track your response by running hundreds of reports
-Dollar will automatically distribute leads to individuals on your team or to separate locations
-Dollar can alert you or your team when leads arrive by text message & email
-Set appointments through DOLLAR and email all leads with your own carloan.com email address

To learn more call 888-888-7227 or visit www.carloanco.com

Alex, sorry for the late response. Yes, we need the data for the new CRM.

Oh! Well, if you've still got the rental car out, then you should still be paying for it.

Are you just trying to export your data to the new tool?

Alex thanks for the feed back but that it is not the case. We have not cancelled and we have no problem paying what we owe. We want to make sure there are no problems with the new CRM before we decide to cancell. I did not have any issues with the other CRM tools pull our data.

Steve - glad you finally posted! I am familiar with iMagicLab's data policy - it is just like many other companies I've worked with in the past. But, at the same time it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. It is kind of like taking a rental car out for the weekend and returning it on Tuesday - that rental car company is definitely going to charge you for the extra day.

By the way, I'm assuming from your post that you guys decided to cancel sometime in October - after the new billing cycle started. If that wasn't the case, then I apologize for my assumption.

P.S. I'm probably sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.

I recently took over a private cap dealer who owns six different OEM's. Currently we have three different CRM tools we are using. We are centralizing the whole out-fit and streamlining all of our vendors. After much debate and research we chose to go with Dealer Peak, as they customize and specialize in multi top dealers. While we are in the transitional stage we have dropped AVV and will be dropping IcarMagic. One thing that I have learned is be careful who you choose. Some CRM vendors hold your data HOSTAGE (IcarMagic)forcing you to make an extra payment before they will let you do a full export of YOUR data. Even if you have not cancelled. I was blown away on how they feel they have the right to make us pay up front for our data. Even if the bill is current or even if it has never been deliquent etc... Not a good pratice

Vinsolution is an industry-leading developer of Internet-based customer relations management (CRM) and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to CRM, ILM and inventory management products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Web sites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is GM, Ford, Chrysler, Audi and Subaru certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as CARFAX, Kelley Blue Book, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

www.vinsolutions.com or mo.zahabi@vinsolutions.com

The beauty of a CRM company that has developed modules is they can help the independents. We have Pre-owned Dealers on DealerUps today. They start out simple and grow with there business. Companies are out there, you just have to weed thru the ones that are nothing more than outlook.

Anybody familar with a crm/ilm for independent dealers on a budget? Joe Verde's system is at the top of my list right now considering we only have 2 sales people. Any other choices?

Since purchasing DealerUps in April we have purposely modulated our system. We do feel we have one of the stronger ILM's because we include Inventory and DMS Integration. We also provide automated schedules that are a must to stay in front of the Consumer long term. DealerUps also announced the 1st fully integrated Mobile piece this week.

I have used AVV Webcontrol for about 6 years at two different dealerships. This program is easy to use and extremely functional. I had evaluated quite a few ILM/CRM programs in the past and found AVV to be the most conprehensible. This is a web based program that is easy to use and access.

Our company offers a web based contact management system called Leads PDQ. It was developed primarily for the automotive industry, but can be modified to accommodate other products / industries. It has been tested at various dealerships with encouraging results.

As part of the next phase of the development process, we are offering free use of the system to automotive sales professionals. If you are interested in a free trial, please visit www.leadspdq.com. All we ask in return is that you provide periodic feedback so that we can continue to develop and improve the system.

Thanks for your consideration!

There are many CRM products in the market and there are many dealers that use them. But as a customer I have a simple question to ask. Why is it when I speak to a car salesperson inquiring about my next car purchase, they fail to take my name , my phone number or ask me for an appointment 9 out of 10 times. As a frustrated customer and accountant by profession I have developed a inexpensive simple to use tool that guarantees 100% that for each customers call or internet inquiry that a name , phone and appointment is made. If you what to turn those frustrated customers into happy purchasing customers then send me an email for free demo. Andrew Riolo andrew_riolo@yahoo.com.au

check out prospect manager out of detroit, this app with the edge application blows adp, reynolds out of the water and its cheap

Ty
Imagic is not the only ILM that will let you know the second an email has been opened, without the recepient even knowing it. VinSolutions has that feature as well as hundreds of others. I agree Imagic is a great system but for an entire store application you need ILM and CRM.

I have use Imagiclabs ILM for over 3 years now and no only do I find it the easiest tool to use, it's the most affective. Its the only tool out there that lets me know if a customer even opens the email Ive sent them. Do you know how much time that saves me? The product is bold and stands out by allow the full color ebrochures and videos to be sent. The system by passes spam filters so the customer is actually getting the emails. Most other ILM product do not have this feature. I bet you didnt even know that with other tools, most of your emails are going right into the customers spam box because you got the lead from a 3rd party source and the customers email doesn't know who you are. For my money, about $500 a month for the ILM, it pays for itself. If your trying to do internet with a CRM, your missing the boat.

Alex Jefferson
I would be happy to give you a list of VinSolutions references from around the country. You might be suprised at some of the names on the list. I know there are a lot of Imagic fans on this site but i challenge anyone to look at both systems side by side. I agree Imagic has a good tool but I really believe that VinSolutions is more complete and can do everything outside of your DMS including Inventory Management, Desking with OEM incentive integration, and Websites.

I can say that the support team has been very helpful in correcting any startup problems some have described here. I have called whenever something pops up and causes problems. They have fixed it or gave me the solution to work with the system. The To-Dos is what most sales people need to organize the day to sell cars, other wise it wouldn't get done. When skipped I have only seen them marked incomplete and the new schedule appears. I like the system and have just starting to integrate the show room floor traffic with the new module. Rock on Dealersocket.

I was pointed in the direction of this CRM/ILM service a few days ago. Personally never heard of them but thought I would add it to the list here.

CAR-Research is a full service solutions provider. From Sales to Service, BDC to Marketing, CAR-Research has a solution to help your dealership increase its marketing share and customer satisfaction. Utilizing CAR-Research services can fill your sales funnel and steam-line your sales process.

http://www.car-research.com

Please throw our name on your list... SmartWeb CRM. We offer a wide variety of Dealer Web Solutions including: Websites, CRM, DealerChats(tm) and custom advertising portal sites. As well as SEO/SEM, phone tracking and custom shopping carts. There is really nothing we have not done or could not handle. We are mostly off the radar but we have been in this business since 1998. We are located just outside Sacramento California. I am the CTO/head developer etc. and I enjoy the challenge of making our dealers happy. Please contact us for a list of refernces. Thanks!

this is a fantastic discusion. I am using a local firm and am looking to switch. I am looking at ImagicLabs, Vin Solutions and Imagic labs. They all seem to have similar features and it seems to come down to price and finding information from the people that actually have them and use them and to see what they think :-)

Has anyone Has any experience with Vin Solutions CRM/ILM?

'Excessive Pimping or Self-promotion of a website or company will be deleted. Be supportive, offer valuable feedback to other readers. This goes way further then merely plugging yourself or someone else. Believe me, we all see right through it.'
(DR Rule)

wow a lot of good info on this thread! There are a lot of details I could ask about here - one that caught my eye was the comment about "only working with IE", and that iMagiclab worked well on Firefox. Supposedly, a browser is a browser, so maybe there is something I missing by not using firefox? I have tried both and didnt see a difference.
Thanks!

Alex J - I have found it best to send an email to the iMagicLab support center when I can't get someone on the phone or start a ticket inside their online support forum. Yes, the support forum tracks all of your support items and keeps records of their responses to you. I wish every company did that.

I think you'll see a renewed sales effort from them once they've gotten all the new things they're doing pushed. You're not a current customer and that is probably why you haven't heard back. They don't want to take on too many new accounts right now, but I can make a connection for you if you want?

Thanks for your input Rob.
Alerts are a VERY big deal to me and I was assured by the Dealersocket Rep that DS handles alerts for new leads and new emails. This concerns me to hear this.

Alex J.

Joshua,
Glad to hear you like Dealer Socket. I have not had the success you have though. *Sometimes* the duplicate calls are marked incomplete, while often they stay put and open. It's not consistent at all. With regards to support, I also haven't had the luck you have. I have only called twice.

1. Called to inquire about how to send a text alert when an email is received. DS doesn't support it, and apparently has no plans to. Terrible omission.
2. None of my salespeople were getting text alerts at all for several days. Called in, they blamed the carrier. Would be fine, if not for the fact that my team has Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, Cricket, etc. All different carriers, none working. The problem resolved itself several days later mysteriously. Alerts are still *very* flaky however.

IMagicLab seems to be head and shoulders above based on what I saw the product do. However, I am wondering how customer service is. I put in another call to them and left a message saying I was looking at a new CRM tool in the next 60 days or so on Friday and haven't heard back from them yet. If it takes that long to hear back with the opportunity to make a sale I'm wondering how their support line it. Alex do you have any integration issues with the CRM tool? Can it push and pull like they say?

I think I left my last comment a little too soon.

Alex J - you should look at everything diligently. When that same information was presented to us (back in 2006) we were only using iMagicLab's ILM tool (iCarMagic/iCarConnect then) and it wasn't as crucial a piece of our process as it is today; now that we're using the full CRM. When we made the decision to switch to the CRM, those items resurfaced. ADP brought those things up to deter us from leaving their CRM product. They were discussed and we decided the iMagicLab product was superior enough to look past those things. I don't recall needing to negotiate any significant changes to the iMagicLab CRM contract. We did look at quite a few things about their architecture and back-up programs/servers.

Our IT Director and CFO did not want to move away from ADP CRM while our VP of Sales and eCommerce Director did, so we had to do a lot more diligence in order to make the change happen. All in all our internal opposition helped us make a clearer decision, and argument, that makes me feel good about the move.

I just wanted to make those points clear instead of just saying...

"Any company could be sold tomorrow. Any company could fold tonight. Everybody has a skeleton or two in the closet. If you don’t like something, re-write the contract."

Keith Latman isn't only a vendor-partner of ours, he is also a friend of mine. I was not involved in his previous business nor can I comment on it. Unfortunately, other vendors use that argument against him and also try to paint the picture that he'll sell to the highest bidder. I came to the conclusion they have no fight against the actual product and have to resort to these measures. It was a turn-off for me.

Any company could be sold tomorrow. Any company could fold tonight. Everybody has a skeleton or two in the closet. If you don't like something, re-write the contract.

I'm not trying to sell you on iMagicLab. I'm just trying to help you find an answer based on my own experiences.

LOL...I meant to say IMagicLab had the "best" presentation I saw.

Alex,
Thanks for you input. I agree that IMagicLab had the presentation I saw. However, I am concerned about 2 things. One-the negative press the owner/CEO has received. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive...
I am concerned about this company not being around in a few years...And 2, based on what they told me they do not have "in house" training which would be good initial for some sales teams. How is there customer support and what to you know about thier Owner/CEO, I heard the contract is "suspect" when it comes to your client records and things of that nature.

The only tool that can handle most of what you're looking for is iMagicLab:

1. Yep - works better in Firefox (IMO)
2. Yep - you can do whatever you want on notifications and can set timers for who should get what lead depending on their response time
3. Yep - you can set this however you want
4. Haven't seen much that is simpler
5. Currently, this isn't 100%. They have made a commitment to fix it, but I can't give IML reporting a perfect score yet.
6. Nope - this is based off of how long after a lead came in or when you hit send on an email broadcast. That would be a nice feature. I've been asking for a "newsletter"/"scheduled email" piece that could take care of this - just don't have an ETA on when that will be added.
7. Yep - this is based on how you set things up.
8. Yep - it puts the duplicate lead into the original record instead of creating a duplicate
7a. Yep - see response number 2
8a. Yep - you can set this up in a number of ways
9. Yep - mobile.dealercrm.com
10. Yep - this was a feature request I've been asking for and they just added it!

I can tell you iMagicLab tackles your list better than any other system out there. eLeads might be second, but DealerSocket can't based on what I last saw from them. AutoBase, Reynolds, ADP...not even close about 6 months ago. A lot could have changed in the last 6 months though.