In a market that becomes more competitive every day, one of the biggest challenges a dealer faces is collecting useful information from existing customers and prospects, and then using that data to increase sales.
Dealers that successfully use a CRM tool do so in a conscientious and planned manner, defining a series of best practices for each department. Here are some of these best practices:
Marketing
- CRM software allows a dealer to know exactly who contacts the dealership, and provides complete traceability of every interaction with those prospects.
- Dealers can more easily identify potential customers.
- Prospects can be segmented in order to create specific marketing campaigns.
Sales
- A dealer’s CRM helps understand customers before we make a sale: Have they bought from us before? How many vehicles? What has been their experience with each of those vehicles?
- A good CRM system helps sales staff automate many tasks, and provides reminders so that no opportunity is abandoned.
Aftersales
- Do customers buy vehicles but never bring them in for service?
- What is a customer’s history with the dealership? How many problems have they had with their vehicles? What are the chances they’ll abandon us?
- Service Advisors can identify common needs among customers and act proactively, for example by recommending a change of brake pads when they note that a customer has not changed them in some time.
By analyzing all of the information contained in the CRM, a dealer can make decisions in every department and act predictably, i.e. take action before contacting the customer to optimize each interaction and increase the chance of a sale.
