A dealership’s reputation is often determined by the customer’s last experience. If the customer had a positive experience, he or she most likely will be willing to share it with others. The same is true if the experience was negative. Thus, it’s important a dealership creates a positive experience for everyone who interacts with it. Any interaction customers have with your dealership is a reflection of your brand. Branding is not just a marketing responsibility, but also something that everyone at the dealership needs to be part of. That’s why hiring the right person, training them the right way, and having the right tools available are essential to not only giving your customers a great experience, but also helping build your brand and customer loyalty. One of the most influential tools dealers can use to affect customer experience and branding is customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Relationships
The days are gone when dealers relied on CRM only to manage leads and customers. Today, the most progressive and successful dealers use CRM to manage their customer relationships. They use CRM to sell their “brand” by developing and managing long-lasting positive relationships and creating the ideal customer experience. This can only be accomplished by offering a positive customer experience through marketing, prospecting, the entire sales process, the sales follow-up, and service.
Data Vs. Leads
Dealers often neglect their customer database and spend too much time, money, and effort acquiring new leads through advertising and third-party lead providers. These leads usually offer very little information and are not dealer-exclusive. If dealers focus solely on attracting new customers and neglect their existing clientele, they run the serious risk of losing the loyal customers they worked so hard to acquire. A CRM captures a valuable database of information that a dealer can use to improve its customer interactions and increase retention.
Today, we know more about a customer than ever before. We know every call, email, letter, and text that we send them. We know where they live, their phone numbers, and their email addresses. We know every lead they have submitted and every vehicle they have ever looked at. We also know what vehicles they own or have previously owned. We know their service history and average repair order cost. We know the estimated mileage, trade value, and if the customer is in an equity position. We have all of this data, but are you using it? Do you have processes in place to know and understand your customers? A dealership needs to access this data to customize customer marketing and follow-up with relevant and timely messages through their preferred methods of communication. Are your marketing efforts aimed at the 2 percent of people who are in the market for a new car or the 98 percent that are not?
CRM and Your Brand
Customers are loyal to a company because of the quality of its product and/or the excellent customer service they receive. Because dealers do not have exclusivity on the products they sell, customers have many options when purchasing a new vehicle. With multiple dealerships selling the same cars, the distinguishing characteristic is how you treat your customers. CRM allows a dealer to distinguish itself by the service it provides.
Dealers talk about how dedicated they are to customer service, but delivering on it is an entirely different matter. As mentioned before, your brand is determined by your relationship with customers, which evolves from hundreds of small interactions (leads, phone calls, emails, visits, service). These interactions add up to build or destroy a brand. Since a majority of these interactions originate from CRM, it is important that it matches the image you want to portray.
A positive customer service experience should occur at every touch-point. To them, branding is about faith and trusting you when you say, “We care.” Ultimately, people don’t trust companies, they trust people. It is critical to build this trust. When a salesperson says he or she will call tomorrow, the CRM must prompt that salesperson to call. If a customer says he or she doesn’t want to receive calls at home, that should be respected. The customer expects the dealership to respond quickly when a lead is submitted. The customer expects to receive something of value in return for his or her email address, not a bunch of spam.
Today’s Customers
Today’s customers do not want to be sold to. By the time they contact a dealer, they have already done their due diligence. They need someone to engage with, to facilitate the sale, and to celebrate with when they make their decision. Customers are more likely to research the company’s brand, such as looking at online reviews or social media posts regarding past customer experiences.
Besides price, why should customers buy from you? It should be all about experience. With CRM, dealers can better serve their customers, speed up the sales process, and create a positive experience.
CRM Examples That Drive Positive Experiences
CRM desking multipayments allows you to present customers with numbers, allowing them to choose their payment versus being pushed into a payment. This speeds up the negotiation process, improves CSI, and helps you hold gross.
When a customer comes looking for a used car you don’t have, instead of allowing them to leave, search your CRM with them for customers you sold that vehicle to three to four years ago. Offer the owner of the possible trade a free car wash or oil change for bringing his or her car in.
Create customized business campaigns to send the right message to the right person at the right time.
Introduce recently sold customers to the service department and your website to set their first oil change. Meet them in the service drive when they come in to follow up on the sale and ask for a referral.
Use the CRM data-mining tool to find customers in an equity position that qualify for a lower payment by getting a new vehicle.
Make your salespeople 24-hour salespeople with a mobile CRM. They’ll be able to enter and follow up with customers from anywhere at any time.
Negative Experiences
We can’t control every interaction, and they’re bound to happen. You can, however, control how you react to negative experiences. Make sure you uncover negative experiences through surveys. If you receive a negative survey result, quickly enroll that customer into a campaign that notifies those that can correct it to immediately reach out to resolve the issue.
Communication is key to great customer service. Surprisingly, these customers often become your best customers after you have spent time listening to them and resolving their issues. Learning from your mistakes is another important aspect of good customer service. Document heated issues into your CRM notes to ensure the same mistakes aren’t repeated.
Reward Loyal Customers
Do you know your most loyal and long-standing customers, those who have bought more than four vehicles or spent over $100,000 at your dealership? Your CRM can identify and segment these customers to notify you when they visit your store. Create a customer appreciation campaign to thank and reward them for their repeat business. Offer sales and service discounts to incentivize them to continue doing business with you. Offer them rewards for their referrals. Invite them to special VIP events, such as new model introductions or a customer appreciation party.
A CRM can keep you proactively maintaining positive relationships, not just responding when something goes awry. Your CRM is even more effective when combined with marketing, branding, and customer satisfaction. Your dealers will become much more efficient when they use CRM for more than just contact information. Manage customer relationships, create better customer experiences, increase your CSI, and grow your brand today by fully utilizing your CRM.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
What To Do When Dealership Sales Are Slow.
I recently visited a dealership and I talked to the general manager and asked how the store was doing. He mentioned that their sales weren't where he wanted them to be. As I discussed with him more he was given me his reasons that leads and traffic were down, and that they weren't selling as much. As I listened to him, it didn't sound like he had a defined solution yet. I felt more that he was just planning to wait till things change. This got me thinking about what I would recommend and this is what I came up with.
1. Get better pre-owned inventory.
If you dont have the right inventory it will not bring people into the dealership and it will sit on your lot. Don’t wait for people to trade their vehicles in, find what vehicle you have had success selling in the past (High Gross + Low Days to Sell), and get more of those. Look to people you sold those vehicles new, and get those owners in to get their trade you know you can sell. Those people will need to vehicles too. This increases your serviceable customers as well. If someone comes in looking for a car you don't have, don't tell them you will call them if you get one and let them leave. Look through your sold database and try and find someone you sold that car new and get them to come in because you have a buyer.
2. Reach out to anyone who is in equity position.
Find people who own the previous body style, and getting toward the end of their warranty that you can get into a new car for $0 down and keep their payment relatively the same payment. Look at your service drive. If anyone is bringing a car in that is out of warranty they will most likely have a costly customer pay RO. Let them keep that money and use their car as a trade to get into a new one. Call people who are in an equity position on their birthday and offer them a Birthday Special. This will also help you get more inventory.
3. Stop focusing on getting new business.
Your dealership doesn't really need more customers. Your DMS and CRM are loaded with them. Quit focusing on trying to compete for those new customers that are in the market to buy a car. Use you own data and proactively reach out to people before they start shopping. If they have submitted a lead, they have probably submitted leads to other dealers as well and the only way to win that deal is by lowering the price and your gross.
4. Lower your web lead response time.
Make sure that you are quick to respond. Customers are still experiencing 45 min to 2 hour response times at some dealerships because the lead goes to the wrong person. Make sure the leads are going to the right people who are working and available. Try and respond while they are still on your website. If a lead goes untouched for 15 minutes, every rep and manager should be notified and someone should jump on it. If you have to call the customer back after you talk to them make sure you tell them how long it will take and call them back as they are waiting for your call.
5. Incorporate texting.
Make sure your customers know they can communicate with you via text. They might be in a meeting when you call them back and more likely to respond. Make sure you are using a compliant opt-in and opt-out texting tool. Otherwise you are putting your dealership at risk of a costly lawsuit. Using a texting tool allows you to track what is being communicated to the customer.
6. Make sure you are keeping your salespeople accountable.
Make sure people who are visiting the store get put into the CRM. Have the receptionist keep track how many people they see pull up, walk the lot, walkthrough showroom, and even come over from service. Often salespeople only put customers into the CRM when they think there is a chance to sell them. But they came in, there is a chance. Make sure you are capture that data so that your reporting will be more accurate to tell you what is bringing people in. If there is something that is working but they are being put into the CRM you may stop doing it. Also make sure that your reps ask, “what brought you in?” or “how did you hear about us?”. You want to do more of what is working and you need to know so make sure they are asking. Make sure they are making their calls. Listen to their calls. They should be asking for an appointment and not just to come by whenever. If they are not with a customer they should be trying to get people to come in. Salespeople love the easy walk in versus working to get someone in.
7. Get managers more involved.
Have them call and confirm appointments. This makes sure the salespeople are setting quality appointments and introduces them to the manager earlier vs at the end when tensions are high and patience is low and they come in to close the deal. Hold your manager accountable that they are managing their employees, talk to every customer, doing their one-on-ones.
8. Speed up the sales process.
The biggest frustration consumers have with the car buying process is it takes too much time. Look for areas you can shorten the time the customer is at the dealership, it takes to desk a deal. Also keep the time away from the customer to a minimum, when the salesperson goes to the desk this is when they either start talking themselves out of the deal or shop your competitors.
9. Create the ideal customer experience.
With so many dealers nearby that sell the same vehicle for the same price, why should someone buy from your dealership? It should be about the experience. What are you doing to make it the experience the customer wants? What do they want? Something quick, easy, transparent, helpful, and without stress. For most, buying car is the 2nd most expensive thing they will ever buy and comes with a lot of emotions. Understand their concerns and issues and deal with them before they come up. Bad reviews and surveys are OK. They tell you what you need to fix. Often dealers are more concerned with the manufacture CSI survey then they are of actual customer satisfaction. Reach out to customers who give positive feedback and surveys to go rate you on google, yelp and Facebook. Don’t ask everyone, just your happy customers.
10. Reduce employee turnover.
Our industry has always been plagued with turnover. Most people leave because they are not happy and successful. Often, we hire anyone, even someone with no experience and have them watch some trainings and then throw them on the floor to sink or swim. Have your managers take time to train them on how to be successful. Give them tools that will help them to do their job. Managers need to make sure they are setting goals with the salespeople, going over their metrics, coaching them, and helping them realize the tools management has in please is not be “big brother” but to help them be successful.
11. Automate as much as you can.
Let your software do as much work for you as possible. Most processes you set up and forget and let it keep you organized, in contact with everyone and that nothing falls through the cracks. Run lots of campaigns that are very targeted and specific with both the audience and the message.
12. Reward loyal customers.
Do you know your most loyal and long-standing customers? Use your CRM to identify and segment these customers to receive notifications when they call or visit your business. Create a customer appreciation campaign to thank your loyal customers and reward them for their repeat business. Offer discounts to entice them to continue to do business with you. Offer incentives for their referrals. Invite them to special VIP events, such as new product introductions or a customer appreciation party.
Thoughts? Do you agree? What else would you suggest?
Hunter Swift
Friday, March 31, 2017
Dealers, You've Got Options: Alternatives to 3rd Party Leads
Why do we pay for third-party leads? For years, dealerships have complained about the high cost, low closing percentage, and negative profit of third-party leads. Dealers also see that leads from their own website close at a far higher percentage, for more money, and far less cost.
Why not pull the plug on these disappointing third-party leads that we compete with other dealerships to win?
The most common answer I hear is that dealers can’t get the same quantity of leads anywhere else. But, that isn’t true — besides, quality is more important than quantity anyway.
Search Engine Optimization
There are several proven and effective ways to drive in more leads without paying tens of thousands of dollars on third-party leads. The first is search engine optimization. Buyers start car searches online — not in the store. When they begin to look for local dealerships selling Hondas or BMWs, your website better be at the top of the search results. Customers always start their searches at the top. The further down your dealership is in the results, the less chance you have of winning their business, opting instead for a competitor. Make sure your website is SEO-rich, that you have blog posts driving up your rank, and that you are active on social media.
Social Media
Social media is still one of the tools most underutilized by dealerships. It gives dealers a place to interact with both past and future customers. The best way to get a lead is through referral, and there is no better way to get referrals than social media. Encourage customers to post about their new car. Cultivate an online community their feedback is welcomed. Put on contests, post customer shout-outs, hold community events … you name it. The more you interact, the better off you will be.
Blog Posts
Blogs are another great way to engage people. Customers often take their questions to the internet for answers. Whether they want info on local community events, where to get winter tires, great new vehicle accessories for Christmas, or the optimal amount of time between services, your blog can be the one with the answers. When you blog, you are seen as the expert, and customers want to do business with the experts.
A Unique Website
After engaging customers, you need to keep their attention and get them to submit leads. This is what makes a custom website so important. People are attracted to something that sticks out from the crowd, yet is easy to use with familiar layouts. They want pictures, pricing, and descriptions on each car. There are great inventory tools available with easy-to-use apps that give you access to as many pictures as you want seamlessly integration onto your website. They also allow you to upload descriptions and pricing in bulk. When you have a beautiful website that stands out from the competition with easy-to-use functionality and individual vehicle listings with pictures and descriptions, leads will follow.
Equity Mining
Besides driving people to your website, there are other ways to garner leads. Equity mining has proven to bring in customers who don’t even realize they should be in the market. Equity-mining customers yield higher grosses and increased satisfaction because they are loyal and trust you. Smart technologies use equity information, bank programs, and incentives to find customers who are prime candidates to get into better payments or APR situations on newer models. These tools also help optimize another area where most dealerships fall short: lease and finance term ending campaigns. Pulling our own customers back into the market gives us more leads, more happy customers, less customers shopping our competitors, and more referrals.
Once we get leads, we need good people, good strategies, and good processes to get them into the store and buying a car. But, that is an entirely different topic for another time.
What success have you seen making the switch from third-party to first-party leads?
Written by Hunter Swift via DealerSocket:
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Change
Those were some bad times. I had no motivation or goals in my life and only cared about the present. I ended up getting my GED and was more concerned about me and about partying more than anything else.
17 years ago this month, I quit drinking, stop doing drugs, turned my life around. In 2005, I started working at DealerSocket in an entry level position making $13/hr. I met a beautiful and amazing girl who became my wife. She saw my potential even when I barely had the means to support her... we will be celebrating over 10 years.
I was going through some old stuff and found my High School Transcript...
1.58 GPA and ranked 182 out of 184!!!
Those were some bad times. I had no motivation or goals in my life and only cared about the present. I ended up getting my GED and was more concerned about me and about partying more than anything else.
17 years ago this month, I quit drinking, stop doing drugs, turned my life around. In 2005, I started working at DealerSocket in an entry level position making $13/hr. I met a beautiful and amazing girl who became my wife. She saw my potential even when I barely had the means to support her... we will be celebrating over 10 years.
At 26 I started college and ended up getting two associates degrees and my bachelors in Business, all while working full time. I have been blessed with 3 beautiful kids. I have progressed to a many roles at my company and now hold a Director position. I work hard now to support my family. My wife and I bought a nice home with a big backyard.
I really have been so blessed and content with my life. I have learned that life is more enjoyable when you care more about others than yourself.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
Tune in:
What has @HunterSwift ranting about CRM? Watch #WhosYourDanny Show on https://t.co/6yJ5X4KNzF 2c/3e TUES! #carpeople pic.twitter.com/2k8uve1aZe— Danny Benites (@Danny_Benites) February 9, 2016
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
Becoming An Expert In Your Field:
This August, I will have worked at DealerSocket for ten years. During this time I have worked with many dealerships via support, consulting, and through sales. With these experiences I have become knowledgeable with our product and I am often the “go to person” at the company when fellow employees have questions. Frequently, employees and even dealers refer people directly to me for help and advice.
The automotive industry is filled with both vendors and dealers who are very knowledgeable people. A couple years ago I decided that I wanted to be more than just an expert within DealerSocket. One of my goals was to become an expert in the automotive industry and share my knowledge with others in the industry. I began getting involved on industry websites and I became more involved with Twitter and social media. Now I noticed that some vendors often use the industry websites and social media to constantly push and promote their product. I decided that instead of duplicating that, as a vendor, I would share and offer dealerships my knowledge to help them succeed. In just a few months I was able to generate a large amount of “followers” on twitter and industry websites. I was asked to write articles and blogs, I was featured in interviews and podcasts and invited speak at trade shows. I created a place dealers can go to access all of my content (http://hunterswift.com) where I created an audience and I am receiving much traffic and positive feedback. I try to talk about things that can help dealerships, involving ways that can benefit the dealerships. The articles that I have written have brought much exposure to my company but also helped build credibility to myself as an expert in the automotive industry.
The automotive industry is full of other great knowledgable people who can really help others and I hope those people will do what I have done. Now I am not saying to go out and start blogging and tweeting and speaking at conferences, but everyone should continue to learn and strive to become an expert.
Being an expert helps you:
- Establish yourself as an industry leader
- Help others
- Become a trusted resource
- Get mentioned
- Gain access
- Convert followers to sales
I remind my salespeople that it is their responsibility to be an expert with the product they sell and the industry they work in. There are many people that I trust simply because they know what they are talking about, and they are not trying to sell me anything. These are people that I learn from, but also whom I would buy from because I trust their expertise and knowledge. What are you doing to be an expert with your product you sell? It is one thing to know the product or how to demo it; it is another to completely know how your product can benefit the customer. Are you actively trying to improve yourself on sales, customers service or dealership processes and learn more about the industry you work in?
Only a fool assumes he knows everything and can’t learn more. No matter how much you know, ideas and content are changing. News happens, ideas shift, people try new things. It is important for you to stay on top of the latest updates. Are you up to date with what is going on in the industry? Are you visiting industry websites? Are you reading books to help you learn more? Do you talk to your existing dealerships and see what works for them? Every time you are in a dealership, do you allow it to be a learning opportunity? There is nothing better than seeing firsthand how the dealership operates. Keep your main goal of becoming an expert to help others. I have gone to many conferences and noticed a lot of the experts were far more interested in themselves than in sharing their knowledge and helping others. It takes time but, as you build your knowledge more people will come to know you as an expert and look to you for advice and this will convert it to more sales.
This August, I will have worked at DealerSocket for ten years. During this time I have worked with many dealerships via support, consulting, and through sales. With these experiences I have become knowledgeable with our product and I am often the “go to person” at the company when fellow employees have questions. Frequently, employees and even dealers refer people directly to me for help and advice.
The automotive industry is filled with both vendors and dealers who are very knowledgeable people. A couple years ago I decided that I wanted to be more than just an expert within DealerSocket. One of my goals was to become an expert in the automotive industry and share my knowledge with others in the industry. I began getting involved on industry websites and I became more involved with Twitter and social media. Now I noticed that some vendors often use the industry websites and social media to constantly push and promote their product. I decided that instead of duplicating that, as a vendor, I would share and offer dealerships my knowledge to help them succeed. In just a few months I was able to generate a large amount of “followers” on twitter and industry websites. I was asked to write articles and blogs, I was featured in interviews and podcasts and invited speak at trade shows. I created a place dealers can go to access all of my content (http://hunterswift.com) where I created an audience and I am receiving much traffic and positive feedback. I try to talk about things that can help dealerships, involving ways that can benefit the dealerships. The articles that I have written have brought much exposure to my company but also helped build credibility to myself as an expert in the automotive industry.
The automotive industry is full of other great knowledgable people who can really help others and I hope those people will do what I have done. Now I am not saying to go out and start blogging and tweeting and speaking at conferences, but everyone should continue to learn and strive to become an expert.
Being an expert helps you:
- Establish yourself as an industry leader
- Help others
- Become a trusted resource
- Get mentioned
- Gain access
- Convert followers to sales
I remind my salespeople that it is their responsibility to be an expert with the product they sell and the industry they work in. There are many people that I trust simply because they know what they are talking about, and they are not trying to sell me anything. These are people that I learn from, but also whom I would buy from because I trust their expertise and knowledge. What are you doing to be an expert with your product you sell? It is one thing to know the product or how to demo it; it is another to completely know how your product can benefit the customer. Are you actively trying to improve yourself on sales, customers service or dealership processes and learn more about the industry you work in?
Only a fool assumes he knows everything and can’t learn more. No matter how much you know, ideas and content are changing. News happens, ideas shift, people try new things. It is important for you to stay on top of the latest updates. Are you up to date with what is going on in the industry? Are you visiting industry websites? Are you reading books to help you learn more? Do you talk to your existing dealerships and see what works for them? Every time you are in a dealership, do you allow it to be a learning opportunity? There is nothing better than seeing firsthand how the dealership operates. Keep your main goal of becoming an expert to help others. I have gone to many conferences and noticed a lot of the experts were far more interested in themselves than in sharing their knowledge and helping others. It takes time but, as you build your knowledge more people will come to know you as an expert and look to you for advice and this will convert it to more sales.
Monday, December 1, 2014
AutoSuccess Magazine Podcast: Hunter Swift
Listen to my Podcast on AutoSuccess Magazine: "How To Hold Salespeople Accountable For Proper CRM Usage"
LISTEN HERE: Hunter Swift's AutoSuccess Podcast
Listen to my Podcast on AutoSuccess Magazine: "How To Hold Salespeople Accountable For Proper CRM Usage"
LISTEN HERE: Hunter Swift's AutoSuccess Podcast
Featured Speaker at Jim Ziegler's Sales Management Super Conference
HUNTER SWIFT - FEATURED SPEAKER AT THE CONFERENCE
HUNTER SWIFT - FEATURED SPEAKER AT THE CONFERENCE
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DealerSocket CRM Director of Sales Development, Hunter Swift at the Sales Management Super Conference in Atlanta in November.
DealerSocket CRM Director of Sales Development, Hunter Swift at the Sales Management Super Conference in Atlanta in November.
"CRM: The Backbone of a Successful Dealership” by Hunter Swift
Why dealers should be focusing on their CRM to drive success.
How to use your CRM to drive new traffic new traffic versus traditional web leads and advertising.
How to successfully create the ideal experience for your customers.
What specific processes dealers can change in their CRM to drive… Higher conversion rate, Higher CRM usage, Increase accountability, Assist with the sale, Integrate Sales & Service, Maximize front and back end, and mobile.
How to use your CRM to drive new traffic new traffic versus traditional web leads and advertising.
How to successfully create the ideal experience for your customers.
What specific processes dealers can change in their CRM to drive… Higher conversion rate, Higher CRM usage, Increase accountability, Assist with the sale, Integrate Sales & Service, Maximize front and back end, and mobile.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
#FF @HunterSwift for his continued enthusiasm for the biz and his ongoing friendship. Gotta love this guy.
— Eric Miltsch (@emiltsch) September 12, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sales Tip of the Day
I get asked a lot for tips on how to be successful in Sales.
I get asked a lot for tips on how to be successful in Sales.
One tip... just make the calls. The number of calls is more important than what you say or know.
I’d rather you make 50 calls that "sucked" versus no calls at all. Why do I believe this? Well, you might just get lucky and call someone in the market, having a bad day with their current product or looking for a change.
So go test your luck and make some calls. Over time and lots of calls, it will become easier to make calls, you will become better at pitching your product and setting appointments. You will be more confident, and it will be easier for you to overcome objections.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Top Sales Expert To Follow On Twitter
Congratulations @HunterSwift! You made our list of the June 2014 Top 100 Sales Experts to Follow on Twitter - http://t.co/M3H5faTIOM
— Sales Articles (@ECSales2) June 23, 2014
How to Hold Your Salespeople Accountable with CRM
My first job out of high school was selling cars. At that time, I remember my sales manager telling me and the other salespeople to make our daily follow-up calls. Some salespeople would say they completed their calls, even when they hadn't. It became a constant battle. Apart from not making the calls, these particular salespeople were notorious at finding ways to cut corners and cheat the system. While this may not be the norm, how do we hold our salespeople accountable for their daily, weekly and monthly activities?
CRM Ensures Accountability
In today’s dealership, 80% of the leads received come through the phone and/or Internet. That means that 80% of their business is dependent on the salesperson’s ability to schedule appointments that drive people into the showroom. CRM utilization becomes critical when managing these processes. CRM allows salespeople to achieve new levels of production with unsold and repeat customers, thereby increasing their personal incomes. CRM enables salespeople to work more efficiently, be better organized, and better manage time and relationships. Managers now have access to reports that enable them to monitor all activities, and can help coach and motivate each salesperson.
Accountability was low at that dealership because the managers were not monitoring the daily actions of the salespeople at the dealership. What they thought was being done in the dealership, often wasn’t. They had no concrete way to show that it was or was not happening.
Tracking Opportunities
In order to improve accountability, utilize reports to track the number of new opportunities that your salespeople are entering into the CRM. Nothing is worse than seeing someone take multiple customers without entering those customers into the CRM. One common rule from dealers is: “If it isn’t in the CRM, it didn’t happen.” If data is not entered into your CRM, it throws off your marketing and ROI reports.
Tracking Phone Calls
The second key metric is phone calls. It is important that your CRM is integrated with your phone system in order to track outbound phone calls. Having salespeople mark all of their calls completed is one thing, but it's even better to have proof that the call was made, and how long they were on the call. The top salespeople are constantly those who take the time to make the most calls. If your state allows it, record your calls. This is great for managing quality and training.
Make sure to monitor inbound calls as well. Most customers are calling multiple companies, and this is often the first contact the customer has with your business. If your salespeople don’t handle inbound and outbound calls correctly, it will ultimately affect your conversion rate.
Email and web lead tracking is also important. You need to know how many emails the salespeople are receiving and sending out, as well as how long it is taking them to respond to their web leads. Salespeople love people that come in and buy, but what about those that don’t buy, or those who are hard to get in touch with afterward? Make sure you are looking at reports that reflect this data.
Pipeline Management
Pipeline management is key for success. When salespeople get busy, the first item taken off their plate is prospecting. When salespeople stop prospecting, the pipeline eventually runs dry. Make sure that as part of tracking calls, you know the type of calls the salespeople are making. Ensure there is always a focus on prospecting. Salespeople also have a tendency to move people to “lost”. This is a way to get the CRM follow-up to stop or to hide those customers that didn't work out. Do you have a review process in place for a manager to look at each “lost deal” and try to “save a deal”?
Activity Reports
Some CRM tools have a daily activity report or check out report that shows everything the salesperson has done for the day (opportunities, appointments, calls, talk time, emails, etc.). When I worked at one dealership, I noticed they had a problem with accountability, so they instituted a new process. Before a salesperson left for the day, they would print out a report and give it to their manager to check out. The report told the manager everything they had done as well as all of the calls they didn’t complete. Quickly, managers were able to see what had been done and what had not been done. Often, the manager would send the salesperson back to make more calls before they left. Salespeople began to feel ashamed when they handed in their sheet that showed low call volume. It motivated them to make more calls. The dealership drastically improved their follow up process and began to see an immediate increase in their sales.
Have a Plan and Set Goals
Having a plan and setting goals are essential parts of improving accountability. It is crucial for salespeople to establish a set of daily, weekly and monthly benchmarks that help them measure and manage their ultimate goal. If the goal of each salesperson is to sell “X”, don’t focus on the end goal. Monitor the activities that will help them reach that goal. It also helps if the salespeople are included in setting the goals. If you do this, they should have a personal stake in the outcome. Without inclusion, salespeople will figure out the best excuses in the world about why they can’t meet their goals.
If you have a salesperson who isn’t taking responsibility, then you may need to mentor them individually. Focus on their behavior and the issues at hand. They need to be held accountable for their actions, which can include low prospecting activity, not meeting sales targets, or low margin sales. As accountability grows, your salespeople will form a good habit of doing the things they must do on a regular basis. With a few changes, you'll help them get on their way to becoming a top producing salesperson.
Hunter Swift is the Director of Sales Development at DealerSocket, a CRM company for car dealers. He has been with DealerSocket since 2005. In addition to his current role, he has fulfilled the responsibilities of customer support, consulting, training, and sales. Hunter is recognized as a leader in CRM best practices and specializes in helping businesses improve sales and follow-up processes through the use of CRM technology. He is known for his ability to connect with people and demonstrate his knowledge to help others solve their problems. Hunter honed his selling and CRM skills as a car salesperson prior to joining DealerSocket. He also has earned a Business Degree from Pepperdine University. Hunter can be reached at hunterswift1@gmail.com and on Twitter at @HunterSwift.Thursday, June 19, 2014
Have you seen a DealerSocket Demo?
@HunterSwift Thanks for the demo of @DealerSocketCRM Looking forward to our next call! pic.twitter.com/jgWURUU6vS
— Used Car Ricky ® (@UsedCarRicky) June 19, 2014
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Reception of my CRM article
THIS article by @HunterSwift is now on my required reading list for ALL business owners. http://t.co/dxVdp7jCFn
— Tracy E. Myers (@RealTracyMyers) June 19, 2014
@HunterSwift writes #CRM article that should be required reading for all business owners. https://t.co/wmG1uR85Y5
— Ralph Paglia (@RalphPaglia) June 17, 2014
Great article by @hunterswift - How to Grow Customer Satisfaction with Your CRM https://t.co/HzFHVugLzz
— Joe Webb (@zonewebb) June 17, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
How to Grow Customer Satisfaction with Your CRM
Read my article on the RingLead Blog.
https://www.ringlead.com/crm-customer-satisfaction/
"Branding is not just a marketing responsibility; it's a company-wide sport. Whether it's positive or negative, any interaction a customer has with your business is a reflection of your brand. Hire the right people, train them the right way, and give them the right tools. This will ensure a great customer experience as well as brand and customer loyalty. One of the most influential customer service tools businesses can use is your CRM..." (Read more)
Read my article on the RingLead Blog.
https://www.ringlead.com/crm-customer-satisfaction/
"Branding is not just a marketing responsibility; it's a company-wide sport. Whether it's positive or negative, any interaction a customer has with your business is a reflection of your brand. Hire the right people, train them the right way, and give them the right tools. This will ensure a great customer experience as well as brand and customer loyalty. One of the most influential customer service tools businesses can use is your CRM..." (Read more)
RingLead creates data quality applications for SalesForce, Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot and more. For more info visit: http://ringlead.com
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Listen to my Interview on "The Dealer Playbook"
http://thedealerplaybook.com/dpb-009-drive-car-sales-crm-whunter-swift/
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
In Sales, price comes up a lot. I love this quote.
"Common Sense vs. Nonsense: It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. But when you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot -- it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better." John Ruskin (1819-1900)
"Common Sense vs. Nonsense: It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. But when you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot -- it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better." John Ruskin (1819-1900)
CRM and Your Brand
Why you should focus on your CRM to tell your Brand story.
A dealership’s reputation is often determined by the customer’s last experience. If they had a positive experience, they will most likely be willing to share it with others. The same is true if they have a negative experience. Thus, it’s important that dealerships strive to create a positive experience for everyone who interacts with their dealership. Any interaction customers have with your dealership is a reflection on your brand. Branding is not just a marketing responsibility, but also something that everyone at the dealership needs to be part of. That’s why hiring the right person, training them the right way, and having the right tools available are essential to not only give your customers a great experience, but also to help build your brand and customer loyalty. One of the most influential tools dealers can use that affect a customer’s experience and branding is your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool.
RELATIONSHIPS
The days are gone when dealers relied on their CRM to simply manage leads and customers. Today, the most progressive and successful dealers are using their CRM to manage the relationship with their customers. They are using their CRM to tell their “brand” by developing and managing long-lasting positive relationships and creating the ideal customer experience, while making customers for life. This is only accomplished by offering a positive customer experience through marketing, prospecting, the entire sales process, the sales follow up, and service.
DATA VS LEADS
Dealers often neglect their customer database and spend too much time, money and effort into acquiring new leads through advertising and third-party lead providers; leads that often have very little information, and do not even have dealership exclusivity. If dealers focus only on attracting new customers and don’t serve their existing clientele, they run a serious risk of losing the loyal customers they previously worked so hard to acquire. The use of CRM allows a dealer to capture a valuable database of information that it can use to better the way it interacts with its customers, and increase customer retention. Today, we know more about a customer than ever before. We know every call, email, letter, and text that has been sent. We know where they live, their phone numbers, their email addresses. We know every lead they have submitted, every vehicle they have ever looked at. We also know what vehicles they own or have previously owned. We know their service history and average repair order cost. We know the estimated mileage, trade value, and if the customer is in an equity position. We have all of this data, but are you using it? Do you have processes in place to know and understand who your customers are? Dealerships need to access this data to cater marketing and follow-up to their customers with relevant and timely messages, through the customers preferred method of communication. Are your marketing efforts aimed at the 2 percent of people who are in the market for a new car or the 98 percent that are not?
CRM AND YOUR BRAND
Customers are loyal to a company or a business because of the quality of their product and/or the excellent customer service they receive. Because dealers do not have exclusivity on the products they sell, customers have many options when it comes to purchasing a new vehicle. With multiple dealerships selling the same cars, the distinguishing characteristic is often how you treat your customers. It’s not so much what you are selling, but how you are selling it. CRM technologies allow dealers to distinguish themselves by the service they provide. Dealers often talk about how they are dedicated to customer service, but applying it is an entirely different matter. As mentioned before, your brand is determined from the relationship between the dealership and its customers. This evolves from hundreds of small interactions (leads, phone calls, emails, visits, service). These interactions add up to build or destroy the dealership’s brand. Since a majority of these interactions originate in the CRM, it is important that the CRM matches the brand or image you are trying to portray. A positive customer service experience must be applied to every customer touch point. To your customers, branding is largely about faith; believing in something they can’t see, and trusting you when the dealership says, “We care.” Ultimately, people don’t trust companies, they trust people, making it critical to build this trust. When a salesperson says they are going to call the customer back tomorrow, the CRM needs to prompt the salesperson to call them. If a customer says they don’t want to receive any calls at home, that should be respected. They expect when you email or send in a lead that the dealership will be quick to respond. They trust that when they give you their email address that you are not just going to spam it, but give them something of value.
TODAY’S CUSTOMERS
Today’s customers do not want to be “sold.” Most often, by the time they’ve contacted a dealer, customers have done their due diligence. They just want someone to engage with, to help them, and to celebrate with them when they make their decision. Customers are more likely to do research on the company’s brand, such as looking at online reviews or social media posts regarding past customer experiences. Apart from price, why should customers buy from you? It should be all about the experience. With the use of CRM technologies, dealers can better serve their customers, speed up the sales process, and create a positive experience.
CRM EXAMPLES THAT DRIVE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES
Use CRM Desking multi-payments to present numbers and allow customers to choose their payment versus being pushed into a payment. This speeds up the negotiation process, improves CSI, and helps you hold gross. When someone comes in looking for a used car you don’t have, instead of letting them leave, search your CRM with your prospect for customers you sold that vehicle to 3-4 years ago. Offer the owner of the possible trade a free car wash or oil change for bringing their car in. Create customized business campaigns designed to send the right message, to the right person at the right time. Integrate sales and service by introducing recently sold customers to the service department and to your website to set their first oil change. Then meet them in the service drive when they come in to follow up with the sale and ask for a referral. Use the CRM’s data-mining tool to find specific customers in an equity position that could qualify for a lower payment by getting them into a new vehicle. Incorporate a mobile CRM to allow your salespeople to be 24-hour salespeople, where they can enter and follow up with customers wherever they may be.
NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES
We can’t control every interaction, and negative experiences are bound to happen. But you can control how you react to negative experiences. You should make sure you have a way to uncover negative experiences through surveys. If you receive a negative survey you should quickly enroll those customers into a campaign where it notifies those that can correct the problem, and immediately reach out to resolve the customer’s issue. Communication is key to great customer service. Surprisingly, these customers become some of your best customers after you have spent time listening to them and resolving their issues. Learning from your mistakes is also an important aspect of good customer service. Documenting heated issues into the notes in your CRM helps to ensure you don’t make those same mistakes again.
REWARD LOYAL CUSTOMERS
Do you know who your most loyal and long-standing customers are, those who have bought more than four vehicles, or spent over $100,000 at your dealership? Use your CRM to identify and segment these customers so it will notify you when they visit your store. Create a customer appreciation campaign to thank your loyal customers and reward them for their repeat business. Offer sales and service discounts to entice them to continue to do business with you. Offer incentives for their referrals. Invite them to special VIP events, like new model introductions or a customer appreciation party.
Using a CRM will help you stay on top of your customers and ensure you’re being proactive in maintaining positive relationships, not just responding when something goes awry. Your CRM will be taken to the next level when combined with marketing, branding, and customer satisfaction. Dealers will be much more efficient when they use their CRM for more than just a storage bin for contacts. Fully utilizing your CRM to manage the relationship with your customers will help create a better overall experience for your customers, increase your CSI, and ultimately grow your brand.
About Hunter Swift
Hunter Swift is the Director of Sales Development at DealerSocket and has been with the company since 2005. In addition to his current role, he has fulfilled the responsibilities of customer support, consulting, training, and sales. Hunter specializes in helping dealerships improve sales and follow-up processes through the use of CRM technology. He is known for his ability to connect with people and demonstrate his knowledge to help others solve their problems. Hunter honed his dealership skills as a salesperson prior to joining DealerSocket. He has earned a Business Degree from Pepperdine University. Hunter can be reached at hswift@dealersocket.com and on social media at @HunterSwift.
Why you should focus on your CRM to tell your Brand story.
A dealership’s reputation is often determined by the customer’s last experience. If they had a positive experience, they will most likely be willing to share it with others. The same is true if they have a negative experience. Thus, it’s important that dealerships strive to create a positive experience for everyone who interacts with their dealership. Any interaction customers have with your dealership is a reflection on your brand. Branding is not just a marketing responsibility, but also something that everyone at the dealership needs to be part of. That’s why hiring the right person, training them the right way, and having the right tools available are essential to not only give your customers a great experience, but also to help build your brand and customer loyalty. One of the most influential tools dealers can use that affect a customer’s experience and branding is your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool.
RELATIONSHIPS
The days are gone when dealers relied on their CRM to simply manage leads and customers. Today, the most progressive and successful dealers are using their CRM to manage the relationship with their customers. They are using their CRM to tell their “brand” by developing and managing long-lasting positive relationships and creating the ideal customer experience, while making customers for life. This is only accomplished by offering a positive customer experience through marketing, prospecting, the entire sales process, the sales follow up, and service.
DATA VS LEADS
Dealers often neglect their customer database and spend too much time, money and effort into acquiring new leads through advertising and third-party lead providers; leads that often have very little information, and do not even have dealership exclusivity. If dealers focus only on attracting new customers and don’t serve their existing clientele, they run a serious risk of losing the loyal customers they previously worked so hard to acquire. The use of CRM allows a dealer to capture a valuable database of information that it can use to better the way it interacts with its customers, and increase customer retention. Today, we know more about a customer than ever before. We know every call, email, letter, and text that has been sent. We know where they live, their phone numbers, their email addresses. We know every lead they have submitted, every vehicle they have ever looked at. We also know what vehicles they own or have previously owned. We know their service history and average repair order cost. We know the estimated mileage, trade value, and if the customer is in an equity position. We have all of this data, but are you using it? Do you have processes in place to know and understand who your customers are? Dealerships need to access this data to cater marketing and follow-up to their customers with relevant and timely messages, through the customers preferred method of communication. Are your marketing efforts aimed at the 2 percent of people who are in the market for a new car or the 98 percent that are not?
CRM AND YOUR BRAND
Customers are loyal to a company or a business because of the quality of their product and/or the excellent customer service they receive. Because dealers do not have exclusivity on the products they sell, customers have many options when it comes to purchasing a new vehicle. With multiple dealerships selling the same cars, the distinguishing characteristic is often how you treat your customers. It’s not so much what you are selling, but how you are selling it. CRM technologies allow dealers to distinguish themselves by the service they provide. Dealers often talk about how they are dedicated to customer service, but applying it is an entirely different matter. As mentioned before, your brand is determined from the relationship between the dealership and its customers. This evolves from hundreds of small interactions (leads, phone calls, emails, visits, service). These interactions add up to build or destroy the dealership’s brand. Since a majority of these interactions originate in the CRM, it is important that the CRM matches the brand or image you are trying to portray. A positive customer service experience must be applied to every customer touch point. To your customers, branding is largely about faith; believing in something they can’t see, and trusting you when the dealership says, “We care.” Ultimately, people don’t trust companies, they trust people, making it critical to build this trust. When a salesperson says they are going to call the customer back tomorrow, the CRM needs to prompt the salesperson to call them. If a customer says they don’t want to receive any calls at home, that should be respected. They expect when you email or send in a lead that the dealership will be quick to respond. They trust that when they give you their email address that you are not just going to spam it, but give them something of value.
TODAY’S CUSTOMERS
Today’s customers do not want to be “sold.” Most often, by the time they’ve contacted a dealer, customers have done their due diligence. They just want someone to engage with, to help them, and to celebrate with them when they make their decision. Customers are more likely to do research on the company’s brand, such as looking at online reviews or social media posts regarding past customer experiences. Apart from price, why should customers buy from you? It should be all about the experience. With the use of CRM technologies, dealers can better serve their customers, speed up the sales process, and create a positive experience.
CRM EXAMPLES THAT DRIVE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES
Use CRM Desking multi-payments to present numbers and allow customers to choose their payment versus being pushed into a payment. This speeds up the negotiation process, improves CSI, and helps you hold gross. When someone comes in looking for a used car you don’t have, instead of letting them leave, search your CRM with your prospect for customers you sold that vehicle to 3-4 years ago. Offer the owner of the possible trade a free car wash or oil change for bringing their car in. Create customized business campaigns designed to send the right message, to the right person at the right time. Integrate sales and service by introducing recently sold customers to the service department and to your website to set their first oil change. Then meet them in the service drive when they come in to follow up with the sale and ask for a referral. Use the CRM’s data-mining tool to find specific customers in an equity position that could qualify for a lower payment by getting them into a new vehicle. Incorporate a mobile CRM to allow your salespeople to be 24-hour salespeople, where they can enter and follow up with customers wherever they may be.
NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES
We can’t control every interaction, and negative experiences are bound to happen. But you can control how you react to negative experiences. You should make sure you have a way to uncover negative experiences through surveys. If you receive a negative survey you should quickly enroll those customers into a campaign where it notifies those that can correct the problem, and immediately reach out to resolve the customer’s issue. Communication is key to great customer service. Surprisingly, these customers become some of your best customers after you have spent time listening to them and resolving their issues. Learning from your mistakes is also an important aspect of good customer service. Documenting heated issues into the notes in your CRM helps to ensure you don’t make those same mistakes again.
REWARD LOYAL CUSTOMERS
Do you know who your most loyal and long-standing customers are, those who have bought more than four vehicles, or spent over $100,000 at your dealership? Use your CRM to identify and segment these customers so it will notify you when they visit your store. Create a customer appreciation campaign to thank your loyal customers and reward them for their repeat business. Offer sales and service discounts to entice them to continue to do business with you. Offer incentives for their referrals. Invite them to special VIP events, like new model introductions or a customer appreciation party.
Using a CRM will help you stay on top of your customers and ensure you’re being proactive in maintaining positive relationships, not just responding when something goes awry. Your CRM will be taken to the next level when combined with marketing, branding, and customer satisfaction. Dealers will be much more efficient when they use their CRM for more than just a storage bin for contacts. Fully utilizing your CRM to manage the relationship with your customers will help create a better overall experience for your customers, increase your CSI, and ultimately grow your brand.
About Hunter Swift
Hunter Swift is the Director of Sales Development at DealerSocket and has been with the company since 2005. In addition to his current role, he has fulfilled the responsibilities of customer support, consulting, training, and sales. Hunter specializes in helping dealerships improve sales and follow-up processes through the use of CRM technology. He is known for his ability to connect with people and demonstrate his knowledge to help others solve their problems. Hunter honed his dealership skills as a salesperson prior to joining DealerSocket. He has earned a Business Degree from Pepperdine University. Hunter can be reached at hswift@dealersocket.com and on social media at @HunterSwift.
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