6 Quick Tips for Using An Auto Dealer CRM

For auto dealerships, customer relationship management (CRM) can be the difference between success and failure.  The cultivation of relationships with both prospective and current customers is an importantaspect of sustainable business...

Your dealership probably spends a pretty penny on marketing and advertising initiatives that keep customers walking through your showroom doors. Bringing in those new customers takes a lot of work—and money.

It’s important to keep attracting those new faces to your business, but what are you doing to keep the customers that have already entered your universe? You caught their interest—maybe you even sold them a car—but have you created a relationship with them?

Keeping customers doesn’t just make your job easier, it makes you more money. Research done by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company shows that increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%. With all of this potential profit on the table, don’t you think it’s about time you invested in an auto dealer CRM?

An auto dealer CRM (aka, Customer Relationship Manager), helps you manage and deliver a more streamlined process for sales and marketing. You’re able to manage workflows, analyze customer data, and juggle internet leads with the greatest of ease. An auto dealer CRM supports you and your team as you build relationships and try to stay top of mind with customers long after they drive off your lot.

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Ready to retain more customers with an auto dealer CRM? Here’s what you need to know.

Tip #1: Give your team a heads-up and proper training.

You may be surprised by how often a dealership puts great effort into selecting the “perfect” auto dealer CRM, only to go live without training the dealership employees. Changing dealership culture is hard, and if you don’t give your employees time to digest the news, grow to understand the benefits, and learn how to use the system, you risk the entire investment being a total flop.

Tip #2: Create a CRM team. 

Gather managers from every department and create the CRM team that will build new processes. If you get leaders from across the organization to be heavily involved, you can be sure each department has the right processes in place, and you’re more likely to get employee buy-in much faster.

Tip #3: Get strategic about your email blasts.

What’s your current email strategy? Do you have one? Or do you just fire off an email to your entire database whenever there’s a sale going on? With an auto dealer CRM, you can manage recipient lists and schedule emails ahead of time. With these capabilities, there’s no reason you can’t plan out these emails in advance and schedule them appropriately.

Tip #4: Set up automated email and text messages.

Your customers are at various stages in the buying process all the time; it’s impossible to keep up with everyone sometimes. Create automated emails and texts to send when a customer takes some action—like they make a service appointment, or request more information on a car. It’s a way of saying “Hey, thanks for contacting us! Here are the next steps. We promise to be in touch.” It gives customers that immediate satisfaction of knowing you’ve received their information and it buys you time to get in touch personally.

Tip #5: Add relevant customer milestone dates into the CRM.

Whether you’re marketing to past or existing customers, you’ll never miss an opportunity to reach out to your customers on birthdays, car anniversaries, or other important dates. This is an easy way to show customers you care and keep them coming back for more.

Tip #6: Stop texting customers from your personal cell phone.

We’re living in an age where customers love texting if it’s available. You and your salespeople may have adapted by using your personal cell phones to text with customers, but with a CRM, you don’t need to do that anymore. For example, AutoRaptor allows you to text with customers through your computer using a business phone number; you can even send photo messages of your inventory.

An auto dealer CRM can play a fundamental role in improving your entire business. By choosing a CRM that’s designed especially for the auto industry, you can be sure you’re getting all of the features you need to be successful—and none of the extra confusing bells and whistles.

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Interested in an Affordable, Full-Featured Auto Dealer CRM?

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Ty W.
Ty W.

Ty was born and raised in the automotive world. He's an enthusiastic expert who writes exquisite content about cars, automotive sales, and dealership best practices. When not writing for AutoRaptor, you'll find Ty on the golf course.