As I walked through the exhibit hall at The Digital Dealer Conference last week at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, I was amazed… no actually I was amused at the number of companies jumping on the CRM bandwagon. I heard more than one dealer or manager say they were overwhelmed at the vendors asking, “Have you found your CRM solution yet?”
It was deja vu all over again…reminiscent of the NADA Convention in 1998 when they were all asking… “Have you found your internet solution yet?”
For the most part… these alleged CRM Vendors haven’t seen the ball since the kickoff. Techno-babble spurting out of the mouths of clue-impaired geeks who believe in automated sales without human interaction or personality inserted into the equation. They are one-dimensional in their thinking that price is the only variable that sells cars and trucks…
“CRM is a result of human interaction not a technology.” Therefore, you should think of Technology as an enabler…It is NOT the solution.
As we enter into an era of Web 3.0 where the public has access to information in the palm of their hand at the speed of electricity; it becomes increasingly more important for your dealership to use information in the form of interpretable data with emerging ‘Social Mediums’ to communicate with customers when they are statistically and strategically ready to buy, either sales or service. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter…online video and handheld communication in real time…we have the power to give the dealership a face and a personality…and to communicate a culture that reaches the customer emotionally as well as logically.
We have the technology today making it possible to track the consumer’s research and cultivate business for other departments within your dealership. We have data available that enables us to interact with customers on a personal level, to create not only fierce loyalty; but, to even turn our customer base into advocates and raving fans.
One thing that reverberated throughout the Exhibition Hall was the company… Vin Solutions… I do not have any affiliation or allegiance to this company except that I saw their CRM Solution side-by-side with other vendors. They are light years ahead of anything I have seen so far in the automotive retail arena. They offer solutions to problems you weren’t even aware you had until you see their software in action.
Remember, nothing is worth a damn if your people won’t use it…which is the case with most alleged CRM software programs. Most CRM Programs today are simply follow-up programs that “Rat-Out” the sales person for NOT making their follow-up calls. Vin Solutions is CRM on steroids.
Sales Process Automation
All CRM must include a toolbox of management and measurement to track and quantify the selling process in real time as it happens. Yes, follow-up is a part of it BUT not the focus. Once a dealership has a stated process that is quantified and measurable, then the CRM must manage it seamlessly with the least ‘clicks’ or ‘screen changes’…as much of it automated as possible.
“I’ve always said that “Average people with exceptional processes can produce incredible results”.